Expecting the Unexpecting
by Nemesis Zaccarrio
Summary: The Ministry of Magic forces eligible witches and wizards to marry their “ideal” match, Hermione Granger finds her world turned upside down, especially when she is marrying the most pompous, self centered man in the Wizarding World: Draco Malfoy. DM/HG
1. The Letter

So I've been reading some Marriage Law fics and I decided why not add my own to the slightly overdone scenario. The pairings of course will be my favorite Draco and Hermione. Yes I know, Hermione ends up with Ron and DH but whatever. So if you don't like some good ol' Dramione then don't read. =)

Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

Expecting the Unexpected

Chapter One: The Letter

Hermione sat at the her kitchen table staring at the envelope the Ministry owl had dropped off almost two hours ago, trying to build up the courage to open it. Every time she tried to break the ominous red Ministry of Magic seal she was overcome with nausea. Her parents sat across from her, with equal feelings of anger, confusion, and anxiety, all aimed towards the envelope and its contents. Again Hermione reached a shaky hand towards the menacing piece of parchment. As soon as her trembling hand touched the seal she pulled away as if the letter were ablaze.

"Oh for goodness Hermione! It's a letter not an atomic bomb! Just open the bloody thing and get this over with!" her father exclaimed, his veins protruding from his balding head.

Still no one made an attempt to open the damned letter.

"Sweetheart, just open the letter. Whatever is inside of it, we'll get through it together. You never know, it might not be as terrible as you think is." Her mother said weakly with a small smile.

Jane Granger could not lie to herself. She was terrified for her daughter and felt completely helpless in the situation. She hated that after everything that her daughter did for this government, they were hell bent on possibly destroying her life. She kept her tight smile on as her daughter picked up the envelope and sighed heavily. Jane, never the very religious woman until recent events, prayed daily for her daughter's future. Now was the moment when she would find out if her prays would be answered.

With a sigh that made Hermione seem beyond her years, she broke the damned seal on that bloody envelope and took out the paper. Slowly she unfolded the parchment and let her eyes scan over the letter that would determine the rest of her life.

_Miss Hermione Granger, August 12, 2000_

_I am pleased to inform you that a suitable husband as been assigned to you. After careful evaluation of your intellect, genetic background, and overall magic skill we have determined that you and you chosen partner are the ideal match to not only produce excellent offspring, but will hopefully put an end to old prejudices that we have been trying to eliminate since The Second Great War. As an honored war veteran and one of the leading activists for _The Civil Rights of All Magical Beings: Wizards and Creatures Alike_, we hope you will understand the importance of this huge and momentous nuptials. _

_You and your future husband must be married by December 31, 2000 and produce at least one child by February 17, 2002. Your meeting with the Department of Wizarding Marriage will be September 29, 2000 to let us know when your wedding date is and/or if there are any complications that would cause the marriage to be null and void (infertile, adultery, domestic abuse, etc.). Should any of these issues arise, please inform the Depart of Wizarding Marriage immediately and if necessary you will be put back on the waiting list for a marriage._

_Your Future Husband: Draco Malfoy of Wiltshire, England_

_Congratulations on your marriage. We hope that you are as pleased with the match as we are. _

_Sincerely, _

_Agatha Gates_

_Head of Department of Wizarding Marriages_

"Well Hermione?" Her mother asked eagerly.

Hermione opened her mouth to answer but before she could say a word the world went black.

When Hermione awoke she was laying on the couch with an ice pack on her head. She groaned as she tried to remember what happened. Her mind reeled as she tried to process how she had gone from sitting at the kitchen table to laying on the plush couch in the Granger living room. Her mother was kneeling next to her and her father sat by her feet.

"Hermione, dear, are you alright?" her father asked in a concerned voice.

"I think so. Did I faint?" she replied in a soft voice.

"Yes dear. You must have had quite of bit of shock. What did the letter say?" her mother asked in a worried voice. She looked to her husband who held the paper in his hands.

"Draco Malfoy of Wiltshire, England." He read, the anger clear in his voice.

Harold Granger didn't think he was ever so angry in his life, as would any father in his position. Not only were these…these _people_ forcing his little girl into _marriage,_ they were making her into some type of breeding machine. He wanted nothing more than to whisk his daughter away and hide her from this _Ministry of Magic_. He knew that he couldn't, he already offered and tried several different attempts to convince Hermione to hand in her wind and live amongst them. Harold cursed his daughter's stubbornness but knew she was right when she said she could never live among "muggles" and be truly happy. She had been training so hard in her Hogwarts for her future; that was her world now. He just didn't understand why her world also had to be her prison.

Hermione had tried to explain it to them a few times but the explanation didn't satiate his anger. Apparently after the war, that his daughter _helped _end he might add, there was a shortage of wizard blood and they issued the Marriage Law in order to repopulate. Hermione told him that with so many innocent wizards and witches were murdered, add that with the soldier causalities on both sides and the thousands of Death Eaters and those associated with them that were executed. The number was staggering. Quite frankly though, Harold Granger didn't give a damn about the reasons behind it or the fact that a law like this was issued once before several hundred years ago, making it quite legal. He still hated it.

Her mother tried desperately to lighten the situation and ease some tension in the room. "Didn't you say he went to school with you and fought with you in the war? At least you already know him, dear, and he is your age so let's be grateful that you aren't marrying some man twice your age that you don't know."

"Mother, at this point I'd rather marry someone ten times older than me. At least they'd die soon and I'd be done with this whole mess." Hermione groaned as she closed he eyes. Her father snorted in agreement.

Of all the people, it _had _to be him. Even Neville or Snape would have been better than this. Okay, maybe not Snape, but right now Hermione wouldn't be that picky.

"Hermione Jean Granger! Don't you ever say something like that again! That's a horrible thing to say! And you Harold, don't encourage her!" Jane scolded.

"Sorry." They both mumbled at the same time, but neither looked like they really meant it.

A heavy silence fell across the Granger household that was broken by a beak of an Eagle Owl tapping at their kitchen window. Jane quickly went to the window and sleek bird flew through the house, dropping a black envelope with a silver seal on her chest. Hermione didn't need to look at the seal to know whom the letter was from. Quickly she opened it, wanting to know what her future husband thought of the whole situation.

_Granger, _

_I'm assuming that you have received your letter of "Congratulations" about our impending marriage. I can assure you I am far from "pleased with the match". However, I suggest that we should arrange a time to meet and discuss this situation in person. I have made reservations as La Luna Cantante for 7 o'clock this Friday night. _

_Draco Malfoy, _

_P.S. Please do you make yourself somewhat presentable, Granger._

Hermione was so angry she balled up the paper in her hand. The bird hooted and nipped at her hand. Apparently he wasn't supposed to leave until he had a reply. Hermione's mother handed her a pad and pen and Hermione wrote him a quick reply agreeing to the meeting place.

Friday night, that gave her only 55 hours to prepare and figure out what she was going to do. She groaned again as the bird flew out the open window and Hermione closed her eyes. For the first time in her life, Hermione Jean Granger didn't know what to do.


	2. La Luna Cantante

Chapter Two: La Luna Cantante

The days went by quickly for Hermione and as she stood outside the restaurant wearing khaki color pants that hugged her hips nicely, a salmon colored V-neck sweater, and black boots, she desperately wished that she was back at her house, curled up on her comfy couch reading a book. She looked down at her watch and sighed heavily as the minute hand hit 7 o'clock. She mustered up all her Gryffindor courage and walked into the restaurant with her head held high. Even though she wanted desperately to run the opposite direction she pushed herself forward.

'Calm down Hermione,' she thought to herself as she waited for the hostess to seat the people in front of her. 'Its only Malfoy. If you could face Voldemort you can handle this little ferret. Just take deep breaths and stay calm.'

"Name Miss." Said the hostess in a high-pitched voice.

"Hermione Granger, but it might be under Malfoy." She said, forcing her voice to stay steady.

"Of course. Right this way madam. Mr. Malfoy arrived just a few minutes ago."

The walk to the table seemed to take forever. As Malfoy came into view Hermione swallowed her fear and looked him dead in the eye. He looked almost the same as he did when they graduated. He grew an inch or two, but still was lean and muscular from his Quidditch and war days and had his hair slicked back in his usual style. He was dressed in casual black slacks with a light gray button up tucked neatly into his pants and Hermione refused to think about how good he looked. When she arrived at the table, Malfoy stared coldly at her as she pulled her chair out.

"Malfoy." She curtly.

"Granger." He replied coolly. "A little tardy tonight, aren't we."

Their waiter came to their table, handed them their menus and poured them some wine before departing.

"It would have been nice of you to have told me the exact location of the restaurant so I wouldn't have to go to several different places to find the right one."

"Sorry, I thought Miss Know-It-All Granger would have been able to figure out where she was going to have dinner."

"Obviously I did, Malfoy, with no thanks to you." She retorted coldly as she looked over her menu.

They sat in silence as their waited for their waiter to come and take their orders. Once their orders were in, Hermione played with her wine glass, trying to figure out the best way to break the awkward silence.

"So when did you found out about our _glorious_ news." Draco asked in a bored tone as he gazed out the window.

"About two days ago. You?"

"Same."

"Oh."

"Yea."

Again an awkward silence settled between the two of them.

"So what are we going to do?" she asked quietly, looking into her half empty wine glass.

"Get married of course. Its not like we have much of choice her, Granger." He scoffed.

"Well obviously, Malfoy. I'm talking living arrangements and such."

"And obviously you would be moving into the Manor until we establish our own estate." He turned to look at her, his gray eyes hard and boring into her honey ones. "Regardless of our relationship or lack-there-of, and how you and your friends view me, I am still a Malfoy and have certain standards to uphold to. Now that you are going to bare the Malfoy name, those standards will also apply to you. Some of those standards are making certain public appearances, hosting and attended balls and galas, and what not, but you will learn more about that in time. Until then you and I must put up a certain appearance and that means you have too look and act a certain way. It isn't all shit and giggles, Granger."

"Are you suggesting I'm not up to it Malfoy." She challenged.

"I'm saying that being a pureblood is harder than Weasley as let on." He explained.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the insult towards her friend. However, instead of retorting back she kept her mouth shut, not wanting to cause a scene in the restaurant. When the food finally arrived, the couple ate in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

When dinner was done, Malfoy paid for the meal and they walked out of the restaurant in silence. When they reached the curb, Hermione turned to meet her future husband.

"My parents wish to meet with you. To discuss everything and get to know you." She told him. Malfoy looked down at her, discontent and disgust clear in his steely eyes.

"Who are your parents to demand anything from me?" he asked.

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and stared him straight in the eye. "Malfoy, we're getting married. There is no getting passed this. Trust me, if there was a way I would have done it already. Out of _all _the wizards in the world, why I have to marry you is _beyond _me! I'd rather marry Neville than even think about spending more than a week with you, let alone a lifetime. However, since there is no way around this we have to make _compromises. _I refuse to be your little lap dog following you around like some housetrained puppy. This is an _equal _partnership. Therefore, you will meet with my parents and I at our home Sunday at one thirty for tea. Thank you for dinner." And with a pop she was gone.

Malfoy ran his hand over his face and huffed out a breath. Of all the bloody witches it just _had _to be the one that was stubborn to a fault and annoyed the living hell out of him. He almost hoped she would be one of those crazy wives who would put arsenic in his morning coffee. At least he would be put out of his misery.

Sunday smoothed out her pale yellow sundress as her mother fixed her hair. Hermione glanced inside the kitchen and saw her dad was cleaning an old revolver that once belonged to her grandfather.

"Daddy! Put that away!" she yelled.

"I'm not gonna kill him, Hermione. Its just…for show." He muttered as he concentrated on the task at hand.

"Harold!" his wife shrieked and he visibly cringed. "Put that away this instant! That's the last thing we need right now!"

Her father grumbled under breath but said in a defeated voice, "Yes, dear," and put the gun in a drawer.

At exactly one thirty the doorbell rang and Hermione answered it. Malfoy stood before her in light khaki pants and a light blue button up. He looked her up and down quickly, Hermione not missing how his eyes lingered a second longer on her chest.

"Malfoy," She greeted as she stood aside to let him in. "Come in."

"Granger," he greeted with a nod. He looked around their home quickly, not finding anything too interesting. "I hope you know we're hiring an interior decorator for our own estate. Merlin forbid it look as horrid as this." As she walked by him to lead him to the garden she stepped, very hard on his foot.

"Oh I'm so sorry Malfoy. Guess I wasn't paying attention. I was remembering the time a certain Slytherin was turned into a ferret and bounced along the corridors at school." She said nonchalantly and continued walking.

Malfoy didn't have time to retort as her parents came into view. Mr. and Mrs. Granger stood as they approached the small garden table. Mrs. Granger had a kind and welcoming smile on her face while Mr. Granger looked like he wanted to rip his head off.

"Father, Mother, this is Draco Malfoy, my fiancé." Her voice tightened at the last word, but seemed to notice.

Jane took Malfoy's hand in both of hers and shook it gently. "Hello there, Draco. I'm Jane Granger, but you can call me Jane. I'm very pleased to meet you."

Malfoy returned her smile and said in a sincere voice, "The pleasure is all mine, Jane."

Harold extended his hand and grasped Malfoy's tightly. If Malfoy didn't have such an extreme tolerance for pain, he would have winced. Apparently Mr. Granger was just as pleased about the arrangement as Hermione and himself were.

"Mr. Granger." he said simply, but he did not miss the hidden meaning in the tone of his voice. _I'd rather drop dead then have you marry my daughter._

Jane noticing the tension growing within the group decided to break the silence. "Well let's sit down and have some tea, shall we!" After they were all seated with a cup of tea, Jane looked towards Malfoy. "So Draco, what do you do? I'm sure now that school and the war has been over for quite awhile, you must have a job or something. I would like to know how you plan to support our daughter." Mr. Granger's head perked up at question.

Malfoy cleared his throat before continuing answering. "When Hermione and I are wed, I will receive my full inheritance and my own private estate."

"Oh, so if you don't mind me asking this, you are financially set and well off?"

Malfoy had the sneaking suspicion that Hermione got a majority of her calculating personality from her mother.

"Yes I am."

"So you don't actually have a job." Mr. Granger asked. "You'll be living off of your inheritance."

Malfoy quickly caught on. They wanted to see if he was going to be one of those lazy rich gits that did nothing but live off of their parents' wealth. Of course they're Hermione's parents, and since their daughter was a workaholic, they wanted to make sure he could pull an equal load.

"Well when I become twenty five I'll become a partner with my father in our family business. As of right now, I am overseeing some of the family businesses and the political and social aspects of the family name. So to answer your question, yes I am and will be working." He stated. He wasn't sure if he should be insulted by their accusations or impressed that they were so smart for muggles.

And so the day went with Malfoy playing 21 Questions with the Granger family. When it was time to go the family walked him to the door.

"It was very nice to finally meet you Draco." She said as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I feel bad for you two. Pushed into this at such a young age, but hopefully things will work for the best."

"I hope so too, Mrs. Granger."

"Oh please, I told you to call me Jane." She laughed.

Malfoy turned towards Mr. Granger and extended his hand. Harold just gave him a rough handshake with no verbal farewell.

Hermione walked out with him and shut the door behind them for some privacy.

"Thank you Malfoy, for being civil and such."

Malfoy gave her his trademark smirk. "You and I may have our differences, Granger, but I was taught to be a gentleman, especially when it comes to future in-laws."

"Could have fooled me." She mumbled under her breath. Malfoy acted as if he didn't hear her.

"Why do I have the sneaking suspicion that your father hates me and wants me dead." He asked in a dry tone.

"Because he does." She replied in a similar tone. "I'm sure your mother is just as thrilled about this situation as he is."

"You have _no_ idea." He muttered, "Well I bid you farewell Granger. I'll get in contact you some time tomorrow about the move and other things."

"Goodnight Malfoy."

"Goodnight Granger."

And with a pop he was gone. Hermione tiredly returned to her house and retired to her room early. She planned on taking a long bath and catch up on some reading. When she walked into her bedroom she saw a black envelope lying on her pillow.

_Granger, _

_Dinner at the Manor at 6 o'clock on Thursday. Please be prompt, Mother hates to wait._

_Malfoy_

She grumbled under her breath and threw the letter onto her desk. Dinner with his mother? She knew it was only a matter of time before she had to actually meet the woman. She _was _going to marry her only son. Hermione's stomach turned nervously at the thought of eating dinner with the women who was married to the man who wanted nothing more than to torture her and then kill her and her best friends. She started to draw a warm bath and as the tub filled up she conjured a wine bottle and glass. Merlin, she needed a drink.


	3. The Move

Chapter Three: The Move

The next two weeks went by in a blur for Hermione. Not only did she have a very awkwardly quiet dinner with the infamous Lord and Lady Malfoy, she also had to break the news to her best friends at she was to be wed to Malfoy by the new year. Harry threatened to break every bone in his body, while Ginny tried to console Hermione and calm Harry down at the same time.

Hermione was greatly jealous of her two friends. Before the law was set, Harry had proposed to Ginny, saving them from a fate similar to hers. That was the loophole about the Marriage Law. Anyone who was married or engaged before the Law became active was saved from being having a marriage arranged for them. Hermione often wondered why Ron never asked her to marry him when rumors of the law started to spread. Though their relationship never lasted very long after the war had ended, she hoped he would do it just to save them both from being forced into a marriage with some stranger…or Draco Malfoy.

Hermione stared out the window, memorizing the scenery around her, as the black Rolls Royce traveled up the long driveway to the Malfoy Manor. She was very aware of Malfoy staring at her, but she refused to acknowledge him. She felt like her life was slowly crashing around her, one by the one the pieces were falling to the floor and shattering into even tinier pieces.

Hermione never really gave much thought to her wedding, what her husband would be like, or how many children she would have. Not that she _never_ thought about it, but she at least dreamed that she would marry someone who she was deeply in love with. She dreamed she would become a Medi-Witch for a while and then eventually retire and become a teacher, maybe Potions or Transfiguration. _Dreamed_. That was the key word. Dreamed, past tense, not present.

Hermione felt her anxiety build up, as they got closer to the Manor and when the driver opened the door and it took all her strength to grasp his hand lightly and get out of the car. Malfoy and her quietly entered the house and followed the butler up the grand staircase that was in the middle of the glorious entrance hall. When they reached their destination, Malfoy excused the man.

"This will be your room for now," he told her as he unlocked the door and opened it. "I didn't want think you would want to deal with the awkwardness of sharing a room yet. My room is right down the hall should you need me for anything."

Her room was a pale lavender color with a dark cherry wood four-poster bed, matching vanity and armoire. There was a large floor to ceiling window with light matching curtains and a door, which Hermione assumed lead to a bathroom.

"Dinner will be ready in a few hours, so you have some time to unpack and freshen up. A house elf will come to get you to show you to dinner as I have some important business to attend to. Should you need anything, just call for Daisy, she will assist you."

Hermione looked around her room before looking at her fiancé. "Thank you Malfoy." She said sincerely. She was nervous about sharing a room with him and was glad that he also realized how awkward it would be and was happy to have a place of her own.

Malfoy nodded his head, eyes still cold. "You're welcome Granger."

He shut the door and Hermione fell unto her bed. She stared in to the lavender canopy and her mind started to wander about the upcoming events. She immediately stopped herself. She refused to think about them. Yes, she knew she would have to fully come to turns about this whole thing, but that didn't mean she would have to do it at that moment. Hermione closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep. At least in her dreams she could marry whomever the bloody hell she wanted and it was _not_ Draco Malfoy.

Hermione awoke some time later to someone calling her name softly. When she woke up she was looking into the face of a small house elf dressed in a dirty pillowcase.

"Miss, it is time to wake up. Master Draco ordered Daisy to bring Miss Hermione to dinner." She said in a quiet, high-pitched voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Daisy. I must have over slept. Let me just fix my hair a little. Do you think what I'm wear is appropriate for dinner?" she asked the little house elf.

Daisy eyed her outfit, fitted jean and a deep green V-neck shirt. "Yes, Mistress, Daisy thinks Mistress looks fine."

Hermione quickly fixed her hair with her wand using a hair relaxing spell to get rid of any frizz that had built up while she was sleeping and left her curls loose and shinny. She quickly threw on some boots and Daisy led her out of her room to the dinning room.

Narcissa Malfoy was waiting at the head of the very long mahogany table, a place set on either side of her. Hermione sat down to Narcissa's left, the empty place she assumed, and hoped, was for Malfoy. It seemed that Lucius would not be joining them. Hermione gave a small sigh of relief.

"Good evening Lady Malfoy," Hermione greeted her much like she did a few weeks ago. "Sorry to have kept you waiting."

"Please call me Narcissa, Hermione," the elder woman said in a stern and regal voice. "And you are excused. I can imagine how tiresome all of must be for you. Quite frankly, I'm just happy to have someone to eat with. Draco rarely eats at home. The poor boy, he works too much for someone his age. I've tried telling his father that, but you know how stubborn men can be when it comes to business."

Hermione was slightly taken back by the woman's sudden outburst. The last time she was here, Narcissa barely said a word to her. She was also taken back about the caring tone Narcissa used when talking about her only son. Hermione didn't think that the woman as heartless as her husband, but she didn't expect the woman to be so open about her feelings.

Before Hermione could reply the doors at the opposite end of the room swung open and Hermione had to stifle her laugh at Malfoy's very Snape-like entrance. When Malfoy reached their end of the long table, he gave Narcissa quick kiss on the cheek.

"Mother." He said in a cool voice before sitting down. He looked across the table at Hermione. "Granger."

"Malfoy." Hermione replied calmly.

Narcissa looked between the two and took a rather un-lady like gulp of her wine as another awkward silence enveloped them. Hermione didn't miss the looks Narcissa was giving her and her son as they ate their dinners quietly. With a sigh she gently put down her fork and dabbed her cloth napkin at the corners of her mouth.

"So have you two decided on a date for the big event?" she asked in bored tone.

Malfoy glanced up at Hermione, who also met his gaze, then looked at his mother. "No, not yet mother. We haven't discussed that yet."

Narcissa looked towards Hermione. "So dear, when would you like to get married?"

Hermione almost choked on her wine. "Um…what ever date Malf- Draco thinks would be good will be fine with me."

"I'm not asking when Draco would like the wedding to be, I'm asking when _you_ would like it to be." She responded with a drawl that was very similar to her son's.

Hermione felt the heat rise up in her cheeks and glared at Malfoy who smirked at her while he ate. "Forgive me, Narcissa, I must not have fully understood your question," she said, trying desperately to cover her mistake. "Well since we don't have to be married until December 31, I was thinking that some time in mid December would be nice. It would give us plenty of time to organize everything without rushing." Hermione wasn't really going to tell her that she really wanted to be married in December because she loved the snow and always wanted to have a wedding in the winter with snow all around.

Narcissa's eye lit up at this. "Oh well that make much sense. So why don't we aim for something between December 15th and December 30th. We should start making up a guess list as soon as possible and how many people we want in the wedding party and what colors we the theme to be."

Hermione blushed. "I'm not really good at any of those things Narcissa. I've never planned a wedding or helped plan one."

Narcissa laughed and had another sip of her wine. "Oh don't worry dear I'll handle all of that. All you have to do is sign off on some things, try on the dress, and be at the wedding."

Narcissa continued to rant on about all the things that needed to be done, like the picking out the bridesmaid dresses, the wedding dress, flowers, the invitations, and the centerpieces. Hermione eventually started to tune the woman out, her mind trying to process everything at once. Malfoy seemed to be doing the same things as her. He sat there staring at his salad while his mother continued to talk about the wedding.

"Hermione? Hermione?"

Hermione jumped out of her stupor and looked at Narcissa, ignoring Malfoy's snicker. "Yes Narcissa?" she asked with a smile.

"I asked you if you would like to go into the town tomorrow to look for some dresses. I'd rather start looking now then wait for the last minute."

"Oh that would be fine. I'd love to go."

"Okay we'll around 11:30 then." And again, the woman continued to go on about the small details of the wedding neither the bride nor the groom wanted to attend.

After dinner, Malfoy decided to give Hermione an official tour of the Malfoy Manor, since she was going to be spending the next few months here. There were few places that held an interest to Hermione, like their library that seemed to never end and the kitchens, but nonetheless she tried her best to memorize the layout of the Manor. The walk back her room was quiet and both her and Malfoy refused to look at each at each other.

'Merlin, I hope our marriage won't always be as awkward as this.' She thought to herself as they reached her door.

"Well I'll see you tomorrow, Malfoy."

"Goodnight Granger."

And that was it. With a yawn Hermione shut the door and collapsed on her bed, not bothering to change into her pajamas. No matter how nice Narcissa seemed to be, Hermione was not looking forward to shopping with the woman. Buying the dress meant she was one day and item closer to her bloody wedding. With a huff, she snuggled into her pillow and peacefully drifted to sleep.

* * *

Wheeee!! – Me too! =P

Xcheerios – haha I love it too! Its slightly based off of the first time I brought a boy home when I was freshman. Expect my dad was walking around with a lead pipe. ^^ And Draco's dad is there…but as you can imagine Lucius is having some trouble dealing with the marriage. Originally I was gonna make him dead, but then I realized that Lucius is too adorable to get rid off. I'm gonna try and have a little fun with him.

Weaselbe – I'm trying to make it a bit different. Some of the Marriage Law's that I've read just seem…unrealistic (even though its fiction lmao) and I'm trying to really get inside the minds of them and think "what would I do if I was in Hermione's position?" …though it's kinda hard cause I would jump Draco the first chance I got. =) And I'm glad you like it.

Mentarisenja – Like I mentioned to Weaselbe. I'm trying to go at this in a different approach. They will argue because all couples, married or otherwise, do. It's natural. However I think at the age of 21 they would be a bit more mature and don't need to be at each other's throats 24/7.

Margaritama – Draco is trying to be as polite as his can be right now. And the reason why he is being "nice" is because he's trying to make the best of the situation and like he's mentioned: he has a reputation to keep up with. If he were to be a complete asshole to Hermione all the time and it got out, it would destroy the fragile Malfoy name.

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! * hugs * I just wanted to give you guys a heads up on the next chapter. Hermione's going to get a bit emotional, but Draco will make it better…kinda. Haha. I'm almost done with the next chapter so once I'm done with it and edit it I'll post it up. The reason why these few chapters have gotten so up so quickly is because I've written them ahead of time. So updates might become a bit slower now.


	4. Chiffon and Fire Whiskey

Chapter Four: Chiffon and Fire Whiskey

"Oh dear, this is definitely_ the one_!" Narcissa Malfoy exclaimed.

Hermione stared at herself in the mirror. She couldn't deny the dress was beautiful…it was in fact _the one_. It had a fitted, strapless bodice with lace detail along the bust line that cascading down the chiffon waterfall skirt that was edged in the same delicate lace, to the bottom of the cathedral length train. It was the definition of the _'the dress'_. Hermione just stared at herself in the mirror as Narcissa and the fitting woman fawned over how wonderful and beautiful she looked. The world around her seemed to melt away. She really hoped it they wouldn't find a dress today, but she really wasn't expecting to find it in the first store.

'_This is a real,'_ she thought to herself. '_I'm really getting married…I'm really getting married to Malfoy.'_ She cursed the Gods because of all the times for her to be on the verge of a mental break down it had to be dress shopping with Narcissa. Tears burned behind her eyes as she refused to let them fall. Narcissa came up behind and gently laid her hands on her shoulders.

"You're going to make a beautiful bride, Hermione." She said quietly, looking at Hermione in the mirror. Hermione could only smile weakly and nod her head before returning to the dressing room to take off the retched gown.

* * *

Hermione found herself sitting at the edge of her bed staring at the black bag that hid that stupid, bloody, horrible, beautiful, gorgeous gown and listening to the thunderstorm outside. After purchasing the dress Hermione spent the rest of the day in a daze, not really remembering everything and completely surprised she was able to function like a normal human being.

"Ugh! This is so stupid! Its just a bloody dress!" she yelled at herself. With an angry grunt she left her room and headed towards the library. She hoped that some reading might relax and calm her frantic mind. After searching for the library for five minutes Hermione opened the heavy wooden doors and entered the large and warm room.

The library was twice the size of the one at Hogwarts and seemed to hold an endless amount of books. Hermione looked up and watched as some of the more magical books flew from one shelf to another, some floating down from the floor above to the lower levels of the room. In the middle of the room was beautiful yet monstrous size fireplace that had several plush black chairs and couches surrounding it. The windows went from the floor to the ceiling that was so high Hermione couldn't actually see it. Lightening lit of the library and the cracks of thunder filled the empty room. Hermione gently shut the door with a content smile on her face. She was positive she had just died and gone to heaven and decided that she would be okay with marrying Malfoy as long as that meant she could live in this library.

Hermione searched the endless rows of books trying to find the perfect one to read. She was almost dancing for joy at the vast diversity of the books. There was a book on everything from Transfiguration to the Dark Arts, Hogwarts: A History the First Edition, and even some muggle literature. Hermione couldn't choose between the first edition of Hogwarts: A History or a muggle novel. After deciding to read the muggle novel since she hadn't read it yet, Hermione made her way back to fireplace. When she felt comfortable enough she opened the book and started to read.

_"Maria smiled down at Henry, 'Oh Henry you shouldn't have!'_

_'I'm serious Maria! When I was out there in battle all I could think of was your beautiful smile and how much I wanted to be with you. I promised John I would make an honest woman outta ya. So will you marry me, Maria, will ya?'_

_'Of course I will Henry!' she exclaimed as he slid the diamond ring lovingly onto her finger." _

"Ugh!" Hermione grunted as she threw the book away from her where it hit with a satisfying thud against the bookshelf. "Stupid book," she mumbled as she tried to wipe away the tears that were trying to spill over. "Knew I should have read Hogwarts: A History." She tried to fight the tears viciously, but they kept coming, hell bent on spilling over her cheeks. "Stupid Maria and Henry and their stupid engagement ring and their stupid happiness. She should of married John anyways."

As much as she tried to fight the tears, they eventually won and freely washed over her cheeks and dripped on to her sweatpants and shirt. The silent tears soon turned into heart wrenching sobs. Hermione knew it was pointless to cry about the looming marriage. There was no changing it and there was nothing she could do. Of course this knowledge didn't help the pain she felt when she thought about all the things she would never be able to do.

She was too young to be married! She was barely 21! She was just starting to live her life! She didn't want to be tied down and have kids! She wanted to travel and finish her Medi-Witch training! She wanted to fall in love and have the man of her dreams get down on one knee and propose to her like Henry did for Maria! Damn it she wanted a Henry in her life but _no_ she got a _Draco_. She got a sniveling, arrogant, snobbish, self-centered git who barely could stand the site of her! She wanted romance and a wedding where all of her friends would be there and she would be the blushing bride and actually be _excited_ about the wedding night. She wanted a ring she could wear proudly on her finger and show it off to everyone, like Ginny does _all the time_.

"So what did Catching A Plane ever do to deserve being thrown violently against a wall, Granger?" came a familiar drawl.

Hermione desperately tried to calm herself and wipe away the still oncoming tears. She did not want to deal with him right now, she couldn't. "Just sod off, Malfoy." She tried to say in a strong voice, but it came out rather unsteady and raspy.

Malfoy exhaled noisily as he pulled up a chair closer to Hermione's and conjured rather large bottle of Fire Whiskey and two glasses. She watched as he poured her glass and one for himself. He handed it to her and she took it gratefully.

They drank in silence, Hermione finally starting to calm down as she concentrated on the burning liquid. For once the silence wasn't awkward. Malfoy filled her glass again, then his.

"I'm sorry you had to see me like that." She said softly.

"It's fine, Granger. Well all have our moments." Malfoy replied quietly, his eyes watching the dancing fire. "I can understand why you feel so overwhelmed. One minute everything is going fine and the next you find out your being forced to marry, not only someone you hardly know, but someone who hates you. It can be rather unnerving to even the strongest people. It's a lot to take on and I'm sure my mother wasn't helping."

"I didn't think your mother was so excited for the wedding. I was kind of expecting your parents to hex me the moment I walked in the door." She took another swig of her drink, glass half empty. She didn't remember drinking it so fast.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Granger, at first they weren't. Actually, father still isn't, but mother is a different case. Once she calmed down she realized that since you are the smartest witch of our age, you're independent, and aren't as shallow as most of the other female nobles, it could of have been a lot worse. I _could_ be marrying a Hufflepuff." He smirked.

Hermione chuckled at his joke. She stopped herself. _She _was chuckling at a joke made by _Malfoy_. She looked down at her glass again and saw it was nearly empty. Maybe he spiked it. Malfoy refilled his glass and then hers.

"Mother likes to organize and plan galas and parties." He added. "I think planning the wedding is helping her cope with everything. You're lucky. You seriously won't have to do anything for the wedding. She's having the time of her life planning this wedding. She's been talking about my wedding since I was little and had my first on a crush a girl when I was five."

Hermione smiled as she sipped her drink. She was starting to feel warm all over now. "You know, I think this is the longest conversation we've had without insulting each other." She mused.

He smirked. "Well let's drink to that." His voice was lighter than before with a slight slur.

The couple clinked their glasses together and they each drank deeply, as if the alcohol would solve all their problems. As the liquid fire settled in her stomach, she finally took notice to how much she had actually drank and how its effects were slowing her thinking process. She started laughing quietly to herself as the realization of the situation hit her. If someone had told her a month ago that she would be sitting here, getting dunk with Draco Malfoy AND engaged to him, she would have laughed her ass off and then sent them to St. Mungo's.

"What are you laughing about, Granger?"

Hermione couldn't answer him because she was laughing so hard she could barely breathe. Malfoy felt a smile force its way onto his face. Damn Alcohol. He was sure that Granger had completely lost her mind and he thought about telling her that, but instead he joined in on her laughter. Hermione's laughter grew to hysterics when she heard Malfoy's booming laugh. While it was a very pleasant and new sound, she was now convinced that they were both equally crazy. Maybe if they were both sent to St. Mungo's they wouldn't have to get married. This thought brought on another fit of laughter.

After the laughter had died down, silence once again settled into the room. Every now and then one of them would chuckle softly, breaking the comfortable silence.

"You know, I think that was the first time I laughed like that in a long time." Hermione confessed.

"Same, Granger." He agreed while taking another pull on his drink.

"We should drink together more often, it's not so awkward between us when liquor is involved." She mused while picking the half full bottle of Fire Whiskey and filling her glass again. She held the bottle out to him and he took it gratefully.

"I think you're on to something, Granger, maybe I should buy out the owners of Fire Whiskey so we can have a life time supply of it." He chuckled as he topped off his glass. "So if you don't mind me asking, why started this whole event?"

Hermione blushed and looked away from him, not sure if she wanted to confess to him what really set her off this evening. "It was nothing Malfoy," she said. "I was just stressed."

"You're an awful lair, Granger, did Potter or Weasley ever tell you that?" he smirked. She just rolled her eyes at him, still not comfortable with talking to him about this subject. "So just tell me, we're going to be husband and wife soon, you know. We can't keep secrets from each other. Its not very productive for a new marriage." He teased. The mention of the wedding made her already delicate stomach turn queasily.

With a sigh and a sip of whiskey, she looked at him. "Fine, oh future husband on mine, I'll tell you, but you have to swear that you won't laugh at me. If you do, I swear on all that is magical I'll hex you to pieces!" Malfoy made a motion of zipping his mouth shut, though he still wore that damned smirk. "Okay, well I was reading a book and I just got to the part where Henry was proposing to Maria, which I personally think is stupid because he _knows_ she really loved John, who was his best friend but he died in the war and-"

"Granger, you're rambling." He interrupted.

"Oh, yes, sorry about that. Anyway so Henry is proposing to Maria and the whole thing just pissed me off!" Hermione slammed her glass down on the small table between the two chairs, forcing some of the liquid to splash out onto the table. She stood up angrily, swaying slightly before steadying herself and started pacing.

"Its just not fair! This fucking Ministry just takes and takes and bloody takes until there is nothing else left to take! First they take mine, Harry and Ron's childhood with all this bloody Voldemort business! We sacrifice our lives, our families, and our friends for the god damned war, fix all their bloody problems for them because Merlin knows none of them know how to do their damned jobs, and_ yet_ they _still _want to take from us! Now here I am, barely 21 years old, about to be married to someone I barely know who has hated me since our first year at Hogwarts and being forced to bare his children!

I just don't bloody understand why they're doing this to me, to us! '_Its for the good of the Wizarding world' _they say._ 'You need to do your part.' _Well I think I've already done my part, if not more! I've solved every riddle, every dilemma, found every solution to every fucking problem Voldemort and Ministry sent our way! And now they want me to give up my future and my dreams _again _for the _greater good_.

And fucking Ginny just sits there as I'm trying to pour my heart out to her about how _terrified_ I am about every, and trust me that's not easy for me to admit, and all she fucking does is nod and stare at her fucking _ring_ with that stupid love sick look on her face that I hate. Then she goes on and talks about how hard it was for _her _to first accept the reality that she was engaged to Harry. News Flash! They're in love and you and I despise each other! We're not in love, you didn't propose to me! You didn't put a fucking _ring _on my finger that I can proudly flash to people and say "Oh why yes I _am _engaged!" like Ginny does and go into the whole tale about how _romantic _and _special _it -"

"Wait a minute, Granger," Malfoy interrupted, again. "You're telling me this hour long tirade is really over the fact that you don't have a ring?"

Hermione gave a frustrated sigh. "It's not so much the ring, but the significance of it. Every girl, even little bookwormish Gryffindors, dream about getting proposed to, the wedding, what their future husbands will look like. It's a girl thing."

Malfoy set his now empty glass down and stood up, taking the almost empty bottle of Fire Whiskey with him. He grabbed Hermione hand and pulled her after him. "Come on." He said in a gruff voice.

After the duo stumbled down the hallway for several minutes, both trying to conceal their laughter at watching the other one stumble every few feet, they made it to his room. Hermione looked around his large room, which was decorated with a nice navy blue and black décor.

"No green?" she teased, "very un-Slytherin of you."

"Go sit down and be quiet, Granger." He sneered playfully.

While a sober Hermione would never admit it to herself, she was starting to actually almost like Malfoy…when he was drunk. Though she assumed that was a start and better than nothing. She watched him from her seat on his bed as he walked over to the blank wall across from her and tapped it three times with his wand. The wall opened up in the bottom and revealed a safe. Malfoy ran his finger along the door of the safe, much like the Goblins at Gringotts, and the door opened. He searched through the safe until he found what he was looking for and closed the safe door. The safe sunk back in the wall and disappeared.

He walked over to Hermione and, with little grace due to the immense amount of alcohol in his system, knelt down on one knee.

"Hermione Whatever-Your-Middle-Name-Is Granger, Know-It-All bookworm of Gryffindor, will you marry me even though you don't actually have a choice and swear to all that is magic you won't tell anyone about this, cause of you do I'll personally make your life a living hell, until death do us part?"

Hermione stared down at Malfoy, not really sure what to do? Part of her wanted to laugh and the other part wanted to…well laugh. So she did. She was laughing so hard she could even answer him vocally and just shook her head yes. Mumbling under his breath, he slid the ring on to her finger roughly. He got off the floor and sat on the bed next to her. Hermione looked down at the ring and was marveled at its beauty. Sitting on the platinum band was a small rose, covered in dark emeralds. She wasn't surprised by the choice of stone, but more of the elegance of the ring. While it was flashier then she would have liked, it was far from gaudy and shined with a bright regal grace.

"Thank you…Draco." She said quietly, fingering the ring carefully, as she felt his eyes bore into hers.

"You're going to be a Malfoy soon, and regardless of our relationship, you are still my fiancé and I won't have her go walking around without a ring. It would look horrible for the family name." he scoffed.

Hermione moved behind him and laid down on the bed, still looking at the ring in amazement. She didn't think he would actually _propose_ to her, however mocking it might have been.

"So are you still upset about the wedding?" he asked quietly, facing towards the wall. She stifled a yawn before answering.

"I think I'll always be a little upset about it, but I think the shock has finally worn off. There is nothing we can do now, but move forward and try and not kill each other. I think I'm more nervous for the wedding than upset." She mused quietly.

Draco turned around to look at her, curiosity in his steely eyes. "What's to be nervous about? We say our vows, walk around the ballroom being the perfect happy couple then…" he trailed off and it looked as if he just realized something. Then another smirk broke out on his face. "Are you a virgin?"

Hermione's face became beet red as he stared down at her. "What? I don't see how that's relevant to anything! Its not like we'd be doing _that_ any time soon!"

"You totally are! Stop trying to deny it!" Draco didn't think that her face could of gotten any redder. She was starting to look like a Weasley. "Its okay. It's nothing to be ashamed of. I mean its not like you had much to pick from. I would still be a virgin if Potter or Weasley were my only choices." He snickered.

Face still red, Hermione huffed. "Well I hate to burst your bubble, Malfoy, but I'm not, believe it or not! I do have a life outside of Ron, Harry, and the library!" She crossed her arms and turned her away, hoping he was too drunk to notice how scarlet she was.

Still snickering, Draco tried to keep a semi-straight face. "Fine, then. If it's not you bedroom skills you're nervous about, what is it?"

Hermione sigh, mentally cursing the alcohol. "You're gonna laugh."

"Did I laugh when you ranted about not having a ring like the She-Weasley?" Hermione glared at him at the crude nickname for her friends. "If I didn't laugh at that tirade, then why would I laugh at this?"

Hermione ran her hands over her face and mumbled. "I'm nervous about the kiss."

Draco smirked, finding humor in her discomfort. "What was that? I couldn't hear you." She muttered it again. "You know really shouldn't mumble. Its unbecoming for a lady."

"I'm nervous about the kiss." She repeated a final time, her head in a pillow.

"The kiss? Seriously?" he laughed. She pulled arm from underneath her and smacked him.

"You promised you wouldn't laugh!" she yelled, still embarrassed.

"Well actually I didn't, if I remember correctly." Hermione buried her head into the pillow beneath her. Stupid, stupid alcohol. She was _never_ drinking with him _ever_ again. "Are you really that upset about the kiss?" he asked in a slurred, semi-sincere voice.

"Well I don't know about you but I've never kissed someone who I don't even like in front of everyone! It's going to be ten time more awkward than…than…I don't know…shaving Lucius' back hair or something disgusting like that!"

He snorted at this comment. "First off, Malfoy's do not have back hair. Secondly, you're making a big deal out of nothing. It's a bloody kiss. People do it all the time!"

"Yes, but people who 'do it all the time' actually like or are physically attracted to the people they're snogging."

"So you don't find me physically attractive?" Draco taunted.

Hermione peeked at him from the pillow she still had her face buried in. "You're one of those men that women find attractive until you open your mouth."

"Then they find me irresistible." He finished for her, "Thank you for such a wonderful compliment."

Hermione yawned again. "I think its time for bed." She suggested.

"I thought you said we wouldn't be doing that any time soon?" Draco grinned.

Hermione's cheeks turned light pink. "I meant I sleep in my room and you sleep in yours." And to prove her point she got off the bed and stumbled to the door.

Draco followed her out the door and she turned around to face him. "Where are you going?"

He looked down at her, "I may be a prick at time, but I am still a gentleman. I'm seeing my intoxicated fiancée to her door to make sure she does not lose her way."

"My room is only at the end of the hall."

"It's a long hall."

With a shrug, Hermione gave up and let her walk him to her room.

"So why did you want to get married so late?" Draco asked, breaking the silence between them. "Did you want to wait until the last minute? I would have thought you would have wanted to get it done and over with as soon as possible."

Hermione tried to come up with a lie, but her drunken mind decided it was just easier to tell him the truth. "I love the snow. The later in December, the better chance of there being snow on our wedding day."

Draco shook his head as they reached their door. "Women are so weird." He muttered. He turned to face her when they stopped in front of her bedroom.

"Well thank you Malfoy for-"

Draco interrupted her by brushing his lips softly across hers. It happened so fast, in her drunken state, she couldn't even tell if it actually happened.

"Now you can't complain that our first kiss is going to be awkward and in front of an audience." He whispered lightly into her ear, which was probably as red as the rest of her face. "Goodnight, Hermione."

Draco turned on his heel and walked away. Hermione stood in front of the door as he walked away, with her mouth hanging open, trying to process what just happened.

"Close your mouth, Granger. Its very un-lady like." He called to her.

She snapped out of her senses and quickly fled into her room. That was it, Hermione promised herself that she was _never, ever, ever, ever _going to drink with Draco Malfoy again. Strange things tended to happen when she did.

* * *

A/N:

Hey guys I hoped you liked the chapter! It's like 7 pages. And to answer some of the questions that I know are coming: NO Hermione and Draco are not going to fall head over heels in love with each other when they wake up in the morning. NO Draco does not secretly love her and have a shrine dedicated to her in his closet. NO – same goes for Hermione.

The reason why Draco did kiss her is because he's drunk. Common, he's still a guy and when guys get drunk they tend to flirt and eventually do something they'll regret or completely embarrass them in the morning: like throw up in the bushes, pass out in the street, or kiss some random girl. It's natural.

Anywhoooo, hope you liked it and can't wait to read your reviews. * hint hint *


	5. Meeting with Agatha Gates

Chapter Five: Meeting with Ms. Agatha Gates

"Misses," called a quiet squeaky voice. "Misses, Daisy has come to help you get ready for your meeting today."

"Huh…what? What meeting Daisy?" Hermione asked in a hoarse voice, as she covered her head with her blanket. Suddenly Hermione remembered that today was the day she and Draco had their meeting with the Ministry. Hermione jumped out of bed and quickly made her way to the bathroom, Daisy at her heels.

"Daisy, what time is it?"

"Tis nine o'clock Misses. Master Draco tolds Daisy he wants to leave in an hour. Excuse Daisy for her rudeness, Misses, but Misses must hurry!" Daisy climbed the tub and started turning on the all the different handles and adding a lavender scented oil.

"Oh, Daisy you don't have to do that! I can make my own bath!"

Daisy shook her head, her large ears flapping around her face. "Master Draco tolds Daisy Misses would try and not let Daisy do her work. Master Draco said to just do Daisy's work and not listen to Misses. Sorry Misses, but Daisy has to do her work."

Hermione huffed and continued brushing her teeth quickly. She would have to speak to Draco about this ridiculous arrangement. She didn't need a house elf to do everything for her. She was very capable of doing it herself, but none the less she let Daisy do her work and soon Daisy had Hermione bathed, dressed, and was finishing twisting her hair in an elegant knot when there was a knock at the door. Before Hermione could protest, Daisy hoped down off the stool she was standing on and went to open the door.

Draco walked through the door, his hair slicked back in his usual manner, and dressed in black robes with silver buttons. He was the spitting image of his father and Hermione wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She had to admit, rather reluctantly that he did look handsome, in an arrogant sort of way.

"Are you almost ready, Hermione? We're going to be late." He said in his usual drawl.

"Almost. I just need to get a robe and my wand and we're ready to go." Hermione stood up and Daisy came over carrying her wand and levitating a matching robe.

"Here Misses. Daisy has Misses' robes and wand. Is there anything else Daisy can get Misses?"

"No thank you Daisy. I think I'm already." She said as she pulled her robe over her and pocketed her wand.

When she turned around she saw Malfoy staring at her with an unreadable look in his eyes usually cold eyes. She cleared her throat and he snapped out of his daze. He stepped aside and she started walking down the hall.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

Hermione looked confused. "Too the fireplace in the library."

He shook his head. "You can't floo in or out of that room or any other room in the house, except the Floo Room. Which is where we're going."

She made a small 'oh' and followed him until they reached, what she guessed was, the Floo Room. When Draco opened the door she found a small room that had three fireplaces in it. Draco gestured to the large fireplace in the middle of the room. Hermione stepped in and Draco followed her after grabbing a handful of floo powder, then wrapped his arm around her.

"The Atrium, Ministry of Magic." He said in a loud clear voice before dropping the powder.

Hermione felt the familiar spinning sensation as the green flames engulfed them. She shut her eyes and leaned into Malfoy, now grateful his put his arm around her. Since she never used the Floo network at her home, she was so use to Apparating that she forgotten how much she disliked it. When they finally arrived at the Ministry, Hermione stepped on to the dark polished wood floor and looked up at the blue ceiling. She suppressed a shudder as she remembered the night in the Department of Ministries. She quickly cleaned off Malfoy and herself of the soot that settled on the their dress robes. He wrapped his arm around her waist again and guided past the security desk and to the lifts.

Ever since their drunken escapade in the library a few weeks ago there had been an unspoken truce between the two. Neither of them dare mentioned the kiss or the mock proposal (though Hermione still wore the ring) and both had started to call each other by their proper names. Hermione wouldn't go as far as to say that they were friends, but there was no longer an awkward tension between them. They had even gotten into the habit of spending some time together outside of the dining hall. Most of the time they would read silently in the library together or while Draco did some paper work in his study; Hermione would join him and read while he worked. Usually when they were done reading or he was done working they would have an elf house (much to Hermione's dislike) bring them tea and cakes and they would talk about their day.

"Don't we need to check in?" Hermione asked quietly to Malfoy.

"Oh silly Gryffindor," He teased quietly, "You're a Malfoy now and Malfoy's get special privileges." She rolled her eyes at him and chose not to answer him.

When the lift stopped Draco led her to the door that read in gold writing:

_Agatha Gates_

_Head of the Department of Wizarding Marriages_

Hermione tried to calm herself as Draco knocked on the door. She had a few choice words to say to this woman, none of which her mother would approve of. Hermione smoothed out the folds of her dress robes as they waited for someone answer the door.

"Come in please!" called a cheery voice from behind the door.

They walked into the office Agatha Gates' secretary asked them to have a seat, as Ms. Gates was still in her last meeting. About five minutes after Draco and Hermione had taken a seat Ms. Gates' door opened up to reveal an unhappy looking Victoria Frobisher and a man in his late twenties. Victoria stormed out of the office so fast she did not see Hermione or Draco. The man quickly followed her.

Agatha Gates was an older witch with short curly graying hair, a chubby face, and an obnoxious smile. She reminded Hermione of Umbridge, but without all the pink and the high pitched voice.

"Oh you must be Mister and Misses Malfoy! How lovely it is to see you." She greeted them. "Oh Mister Malfoy you are the spitting image of her father, I must say! Well come in, come in."

Hermione sighed heavily at the woman's cheeriness and her obvious brown nosing. Draco chuckled at her annoyance. When they entered the room Hermione was hit with an overbearing smell of cinnamon and apples. The office was small, but neat with several filing cabinets and a bookcase filled with books, neatly stacked in height order.

"So how are you two? I hope you are doing well." She said as she took a sit behind her desk. Draco pulled out Hermione's chair and then sat down in his. "Would you like some tea?"

"No thank you." They both said in union. It seemed that Draco wanted to get this visit over just as much as Hermione did.

"Well let's get right down to business then, shall we?" Agatha flicked her wand and file flew out of one of the cabinets, landing on her desk. She took out a pair of small wire framed reading glasses and looked down at the file. "Well let's see here. Hmm…Hermione Granger?" She asked as she peered over her glasses to her look at the young woman. "_The_ Hermione Granger?"

"Yes." Hermione said curtly. She really did not want to put up with this.

"Well it is an honor to have you in my office, Miss Granger." Agatha fawned.

"Well I really didn't have much of a choice in being here, Ms. Gates." Hermione said in a matter-of-fact tone with a fake smile on her face. Agatha gapped at Hermione's sudden bluntness and Draco coughed to cover a chuckle at his fiancée's antics.

"Well we all have to do our part to help the Wizarding world, Miss Granger. Surely you must understand-"

"Oh of course I understand, Ms. Gates, but let's get on with business because I'm sure you've read all about how I've done my part to help the Wizarding world in the Prophet."

Agatha straightened her glasses, still in shock by Hermione's comment; again Draco had to cough to stifle a laugh. Agatha gave him a look of concern.

"Mister Malfoy, are you alright? Do you need a glass of water?"

Draco coughed again, just for effect. "No thank you. Just had something caught in my throat."

"Okay, well have you two picked a date for the wedding."

"December 17th." Draco answered.

"Rather late, don't you think? Is there a reason why you are having it so late?" she asked.

"If I remember correctly," Hermione responded. "our deadline is December 30th. So I do not understand why it is of your concern as to what day we pick, as long as it's before the set deadline."

"Yes, of course. Um…is there any difficulties or reasons for this arrangement to be null and void?"

'_Besides the fact that its morally wrong and your destroying everyone's lives like usual? No.'_ Hermione thought. She held her tongue though and let Draco answer the question.

"No. Everything is fine."

For what felt like an eternity to Hermione, Agatha Gates droned on and on about the marriage and the different due dates for certain documents. She stopped paying attention the moment Agatha mentioned 'children'.

"Okay and the last question is for Miss. Granger. Are you changing your last name to Malfoy?" she asked.

"I'm keeping Granger." She said sternly.

"No, you're not." Draco said forcefully.

"Yes I am, _sweetheart_. I am the last Granger and I intend to keep my last name." she retorted.

"Well _dear_, you are going to be the next Lady Malfoy and as such you are going to need to have the Malfoy last name."

Hermione stared at Draco, who stared right back. Hermione suddenly remembered what Draco said about reputation and thought it was best to stop arguing. She decided she would let him _think_ he won the battle. So, she agreed and told Agatha that she was going to change her name to Malfoy.

"So if there aren't any questions, then that's it. If there are any changes please just owl me as quickly as possible." The three of them stood together and Hermione and Draco started making their way towards the door. "It was a pleasure to meet you in person Miss. Granger." Agatha said, suddenly next to Hermione. She stuck out her hand. "I personally want to thank you and your friends for what you have done for us." Hermione quickly shook the woman's hand and then left.

When they finally returned to the Manor, Hermione was livid.

"Can you believe the nerve of that woman? 'Well we all have to do our part'" she said in a mocking voice. "God I should have just cursed her right then and there! The nerve!"

Draco laughed at her rant. "Honestly, I thought you were. I have to say I wasn't sure if I should put a silencing charm on you or just let you continue. The look on the woman's face was priceless!"

Hermione huffed and walked out of the Floo Room and called after to Draco saying she would see him at dinner. Right now Hermione just wanted to take a nice relaxing bath and read a book. Hermione walked into her room and it was as Daisy had read her mind because the bath was already drawn and overflowing with bubbles and there was a small stack of books by the tub. She quickly undressed and got into the warm tub. With a content sigh she picked up a book and began to read. She soaked in the warm water until Daisy came to get her ready for dinner.

Hermione knew she would be early for dinner so she decided to go to Draco's room and see if he wanted to walk to dinner with her. She wasn't sure why she suddenly craved his company…okay 'craved' wasn't the best word for it. She didn't _crave_ anything from Draco. Regardless, she walked to his door and knocked quietly. She wasn't sure if he had taken a nap after their meeting and did not want to wake him. The door opened, but Draco was nowhere to be seen.

"Just come in, Hermione." He called to her.

Hermione looked around the empty room, seeing that the bathroom door was open. "How did you know that it was me?" she asked.

"_Magic_." He said with a smirk as he stepped out of the bathroom, towel drying his damp hair.

Hermione had to stop herself from staring. While knew that Draco was good looking in nice dress robes, she never imagined what he would look like under them, and as he stood in front of her only wearing black slacks which made his pale toned stomach stand out. Her mind stared to wonder what was under the slacks. Quickly, Hermione shook the thoughts from her head.

"See something you like, Granger?" he teased.

Hermione flushed and immediately brought her eyes up from his toned stomach to his steely eyes. She rolled her eyes and looked away from him.

"I wanted to see if you wanted to walk to dinner with me, but obviously you're too busy admiring yourself so I'll go a head without you." She turned around and walked out the door. Quickly she peeked her head back in the door, Draco stared at her, still in shock by her sudden exit. "By the way, _Malfoy_, you should wear your hair down more."

And as soon as she appeared, she was gone, leaving a half naked Draco standing alone in his room. He glanced at his vanity mirror and eyed his hair skeptically.

"Hmm...maybe Granger is onto something." He mused quietly to himself.

* * *

A/N: Thank you so much everyone for all the reviews! They really made my day. Sorry for not updating so quickly, but I can assure you it was for the greater good of the story haha. I made a general time line about all the important events that are going to happen in the story. So far I have from the beginning to the end and now I'm just fleshing it out so to speak. I'm just getting so many ideas and I drop whatever I'm doing to see if I can put it in, look up certain facts and things, etc. I have up to chapter twelve outlined. So after this chapter I'm gonna try and get the next one out ASAP. Hope you enjoy!

By the way thank you to those of you who pointed out my spelling mistake with Narcissa's name. I'll have to go back and change it. I'm so embarrassed! Lol.


	6. Meet the Grangers

Chapter Six: Meet the Grangers

That night at dinner was unusually tense. The dinners shared between Hermione, Draco and Narcissa were usually filled with light, comfortable conversation, but due to the presence of Lucius Malfoy there was nothing but tension in the air. The vast dinning hall was filled with the clinking of pricey silver utensils hitting the expensive china and the chewing of food. Lucius took Narcissa's usual spot at the head of the table, putting Narcissa's in Draco's sit and Draco next to Hermione. Hermione felt that it was no coincidence that she was placed the farthest away from Lucius, not that she minded.

"So Draco, Agatha Gates mentioned to me that you stopped by her office today for your marriage affirmation." Lucius said in a bored voice as he cut his steak.

"Yes, father." Draco replied. "All the paperwork is filled out for the wedding."

Lucius nodded his head in approval. "Miss Granger," Lucius spat Hermione's name. "Ms. Gates said she had a very interesting conversation with you during your meeting. I hope you didn't destroy the family name. Merlin knows the Weasley's are not the best examples of how a _proper_ pure blood family acts in public."

Hermione opened her mouth, a witty comment about how _proper_ families don't worship bloodthirsty psychopaths on the tip of her tongue, when she felt a warm hand squeeze her knee. She shut her mouth and glanced at Draco, wondering why he had stopped her.

"_Hermione_ acted exactly how a future Lady Malfoy should have acted. She did nothing or said nothing that could not have been taken as rude or threatening." Draco defended.

Hermione stared at Draco like he had gone mad. While they were both quite friendly with each other, she would have never expected him to actually defend her in front of his father. His actions took her completely by surprise and she started to wonder if maybe she _should_ consider him a friend. Lucius stared at his son as if he had just admitted his undying love for Harry Potter, while his wife calmly sipping her wine. Dinner resumed in, if possible, an even more awkward silence.

"So Hermione, I was thinking about inviting your family over for dinner later this week. Which day do you think would best fit their schedules?" Narcissa asked, breaking the silence.

Several things happened at once. Lucius almost spit his wine all over Draco, whom choked on a piece of steak, and Hermione was trying to figure out if it was appropriate to laugh at Lucius' reaction to Narcissa's invitation while patting Draco's back. After Draco had dislodged the piece of steak from his throat, Hermione answered Narcissa.

"I'm not sure about their work schedule for the week, but I can contact them after dinner and let you know."

"Excellent!" Narcissa began with a smile. "Tell them that Jethro will pick them up at six on whatever day that they are going to come. I'm sure, as muggles, they won't be comfortable with using the Floo Network. Even I dislike it."

"Narcissa, dear, do you think its wise to have them over for dinner?" inquired Lucius in a stern voice.

"Darling, as much as you don't want to admit it, they _are_ going to be Draco's in-laws soon and I believe that it is only polite to meet _before _the wedding day. They are going to be a part of this family, no matter how you or I feel about the situation. With that said, I believe it is time to leave all disdain feelings aside and move forward with maturity and grace." Narcissa's tone was final and not even Lucius questioned her again.

After dinner, as is tradition, Draco and Hermione walked to their floor together. The conversation was light and relaxing, compared to the tense dinner. Neither of them mentioned Lucius' comments about Hermione or Draco defending her. When they reached Draco's door they stopped.

"I have some important business to attend to, so I won't be available for a while. You can call for Daisy if you need anything."

Hermione tucked a stray curl behind her ear. "That's alright. After I talk to my parents I'll be in the library for awhile or in my room, so you know where to find me when you're done."

For the first time in a while there was an awkward silence between them.

"Alright then I must get to work." He said and opened it door.

"Wait, Draco." He looked down at her as she bit her lower lip nervously. She looked up at him, reached up and hugged him. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear, "for tonight at dinner. I really appreciated it."

He stood still for a moment in shock, before light wrapping his arms around her. "Um…you're welcome." He said nervously, before they released each other.

"Well…ah…I better go and Floo my parents." She turned around and headed towards the Floo Room.

After she shut the door to the Floo Room, Hermione threw a handful of powder in to one of the fireplaces. Normally she would have owled her parents, but it would take too long for them to respond. When the fire roared to life she said 'Granger Living' in a clear voice and stuck her head in. Through the fire everything was slightly tinted in green, but she could clearly see her living room and into the kitchen. She could hear her parents chatting away and cleaning the dishes.

"Mother! Can you hear me?" she called in to the house. She heard her mother shriek and a plate crash to the floor.

"Oh my goodness! Hermione are you there?" her mother cried out.

"Yes mother I'm in the living room in the fireplace." She said calmly.

"In the fireplace? What are you doing in there?" her father asked as they walked into the fire. "Oh my god! Hermione get out of there before you burn yourself to death!" he cried.

"Father I'm fine. I'm just using the Floo Network. It's like the telephone. It's perfectly safe. Mother's seen me use it before."

Harold looked towards his wife. "Are you sure she's okay?"

Jane just patted her husband on the back and knelt in front of the fire. "Hermione, you know I don't like you using the fireplace. You always manage to give me a fright!"

"Sorry mother. I would have owled you but I was afraid you wouldn't get it in time."

"Oh, is everything alright dear?" she asked in a concerned voice.

"Did the Ministry cancel this bloody marriage? If that's the case, I'll get the keys right now and pick you up from that boy's home. Just give me a moment to find my coat and a hat and I'll be there before-" Harold exclaimed in delight as he moved towards the front door.

"No father, I'm still getting married to Draco." She heard her father swear under his breath. "I'm fine, actually. Draco's mother invited you over for dinner this week and wanted to know which day would work best for you." She didn't want to mention Lucius since it was pretty obvious he did not want the Granger family anywhere near him.

"Tell them we'll free Thursday. How will we get there?" she asked.

"Their driver will pick you up at six. I would wear you're Sunday's best."

"Oh, of course dear. How are you and Draco getting along dear? I hope everything is going smoothly."

"You tell that boy that if he hurts one hair on that head of yours, I'll personally deal with him myself. No wand or magic will save him!" Harold declared. Hermione could tell he was still just as excited about this arrangement as Lucius.

"Actually, dad, Draco has been nothing but a gentleman to me."

Harold looked slightly put off. "Oh, well, that's good. Boy knows his place."

Both Hermione and her mother shook their heads at him. Hermione looked to her mother, intent on finishing this conversation. "So I'll tell Narcissa Thursday then?"

Jane shook her head. "Yes, Thursday will work out wonderfully. Should I bring something to dinner? Maybe a cake or something? I feel horrible having her do all the cooking."

"Actually, mother, they don't cook at all. The house elves do that for them. Remember I told you about them a while ago? So I really don't know if should bring something or not."

"Well I'll bring something anyways. It's polite. Anyway, dear, it's getting late and your father has an important meeting in the morning."

Her father bent down next to her mother. "We'll see you on Thursday, sweetheart. And you let me know if that boy does anything."

"Of course father." She laughed.

She disconnected the Floo, found Daisy and told her to inform Narcissa that her parents were free for Thursday. She headed to her room, intent on getting changed in to a nightgown, and curling up in her bed with a book. While reading, Hermione lost track of the time and was startled when there was a knock on her door. She jumped up and looked at the clock to see it was well past midnight. She opened the door to find a tired looking Draco.

"Oh, sorry. Did I wake you up?" he asked, running his hand through his hair, eyeing her silk nightgown.

"No, I was just reading. Why are you up so late?"

"Oh, well, I just got back from my meeting and I saw your light was still on. I wanted to let you know that the Minister has invited us to the pre-season Quidditch game next week. I believe that Potter and Weasley will be there as well, and they will be bringing their fiancées along as well."

Hermione's brows furrowed for a moment. "I didn't know Ron got engaged. When I talked to Ginny last week she said that he didn't receive the notice yet."

Draco watched her eyes carefully, trying to decipher the emotion in her eyes. "From what I heard, it was rather recent news. Anyway, this outing is going to be our first public appearance, so I would dress appropriately."

"Oh of course. I'll owl Ginny tomorrow and see if she would like to go shopping with me this weekend." Draco drew a deep breath and rubbed his eyes, clearly tired. Hermione looked at him with a slightly concerned look. "Why don't you go to bed, Draco. You look exhausted."

"Yea, I suppose you're right. I'll give you my key to my Gringotts vault tomorrow."

"That's not necessary Draco, I have my own money."

"I forgot to tell you the other day, your vault was cleaned out and your money was placed into one of the smaller vaults inside mine. You're going to be my wife soon, I won't have you going around without money."

Normally Hermione would have thought that comment was snobbish. Sure she didn't have a lot of money in her vault, but it was _hers_. As she looked at Draco, deciding if she should be insulted by his comment or not, she realized he didn't mean it in a condescending way. He just didn't want her to _need_ any thing; he wanted to her have whatever she needed to be happy. Though she was sure he would say this to any other woman who was his fiancée, it still meant something to her that was somewhat protective of her happiness.

"Okay, do I need an extra key for that?" she asked, deciding to not fight him on the subject.

Draco looked down at her, surprised at her surrender. He expected her to stamp her foot and demand that all her items be returned to her vault at once. Then ranting about how rude it was for him to just take her things and that she could fend for herself. He would then have to try and explain to her, while she was still ranting, that no fiancée of his was going to go around with only 500 galleons in her vault (if that).

"No, they'll just need to see you're wand as identification and then you will be permitted access to it. Tomorrow I'll give you a copy of my key to my vault." Hermione nodded, trying to stifle a yawn. "Well, since you also look like you're about to fall asleep, I'm going to bed now."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then." He gave her a quick nod before turning on his heel and heading towards his room.

Hermione shut off her lights and crawled into bed. She had the feeling that this week was going to be very interesting.

* * *

It was finally Thursday, the day everyone (except Narcissa) was dreading. Hermione knocked on Draco's door impatiently. Her parents were going to arrive soon and she wanted to be downstairs to greet them. She knocked again when he didn't answer.

"Come on Draco! My parents are going be here in a few minutes and I want to meet them at the door!" she yelled through the door.

"Just open the door. I'll be ready in a minute!" she heard him call back, his voice muffled by the door.

With a heavy sigh she opened the door and walked into his room. He was currently in the bathroom, fixing with his hair with a determined look on his face.

"You're wearing hair down." She noted. "It looks nice."

He glanced at her, his cheeks tinged a very light pink, then back at his reflection. "Well its about to be gelled back if this bloody piece of hair won't stop moving."

She covered her mouth to hide her laughter. "Hold on, let me help you." She walked over to him and made him face her. "Just hold still and I'll fix it."

Draco mumbled under his breath but accepted her help. She gently ran her fingers through his hair, causing a few pieces to fall in face. Hermione bit her lip at the feeling of his silky hair between her fingers. She kept her eyes glued on his hair, embarrassed to look him in the eye.

Draco was having similar feelings. He wanted to deny the pleasurable twist in the pit of his stomach or how his pants tightened ever so slightly when he saw her bit her lower lip. He took a shaky breath when her hands finally left his hair and she said in quiet voice that she was done. They stared at each other for a moment, neither wanting look away, but at the same time they wanted to run in different directions.

Finally Hermione turned away and went to wait for him in his room. Draco looked at himself in the mirror, admiring her work. Though she did very little to her unruly curls, Draco had to admit she knew what she was talking about when it came to _his _hair. After he double-checked his appearance, the couple left his room, desperately trying to ignore the wanton tension between them.

Dinner had gone just like Hermione had thought: awkward. She was pleasantly surprised that Lucius didn't curse her parents to oblivion on site, but had the sneaking suspicion that was because Narcissa had taken his wand (his ever present snake cane had gone mysteriously missing for the evening). Everything about that night was awkward. From when the Grangers had walked through the elegant, large wooden doorway holding a plate of Jane's famous homemade double chocolate chip cookies; to when Lucius and Harold was staring each other down across the table while their wives talked animatedly about the upcoming wedding; and when they finally bid the farewell. Narcissa and Jane hugged each other, both promising to owl the other about ideas for the wedding, while Harold and Lucius quickly shook hands and muttered farewell without looking at each other.

After dinner, Hermione and Draco retired to their rooms, relieved that the even was finally over and no was maimed or killed.

* * *

A/N: Thank you all for all the reviews! I'm sorry this update took so fucking long. My spring break is now over and I was hit unmercifully with a bunch of work. So here is this chapter. The next chapter is 95% complete and is currently sitting on printer waiting for me to edit it. Once I've done that I'll post it. Read and Review! Hope you enjoy it! =)


	7. The Quidditch Match

Chapter Seven: The Quidditch Match

Hermione and Ginny walked down the crowded street of Diagony Alley talking animatedly; well it was mostly Ginny talking about her wedding with Harry and Hermione listening. It seemed Draco was right and Ron was engaged but had yet to the woman. Ginny said that Ron didn't leave his room for hours after he had received the letter.

"You know," Ginny said as they stepped into a _Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions_, "I think he's a bit upset that he never asked you to marry him. I mean, you guys did break up _ages_ ago, but I'd rather be married to a friend than someone I didn't know or Malfoy."

Hermione shifted through some robes. "Actually, Gin, Malfoy isn't as bad as he use to be." She said casually.

Ginny stared at her like she grew ten heads, "Really?"

Hermione glanced up at her friend and laughed at his expression. "Well, it's been a few years since school and after everything that happened after the war, he's matured a lot. I'm not saying that he's suddenly Prince Charming, but he isn't the little spoiled prat that we grew up with."

Ginny took in her friend's words and then shrugged, "Well if _I_ had to make a baby with anyone, besides Harry of course, it'd be him." Hermione made a face at her friend's confession. "Oh come on Hermione! Just look at him! If you put aside the whole Malfoy thing and the fact that his family was trying to kill us, he's gorgeous! Back in school I _always_ thought he the most amazing ass in your year."

"Gin, let's concentrate on finding dress robes to wear to the game and not on my fiancée's rear-end, please." She laughed.

"Do I detect a bit of jealousy in your voice?" Ginny teased.

"Oh be quiet." Hermione laughed throwing a robe at her. "So have you started your Christmas shopping yet?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"Hermione, its only beginning of October!"

"You must have started to think about it, at least."

Ginny sighed. "Well, I have. I just don't know what to get Harry. What about you, have you started?"

"I've started making a list of ideas and things to get people, but I'm not sure what to get Draco. The guy basically has everything."

"What about his parents?" Ginny asked, throwing some robes over her arm.

"Oh, I was just gonna get them a gift certificate to a spa resort for the week. I really don't know what to get them individually and I figured the more they're out of the house, the less chance I have to see Lucius. That man still gives me chills whenever I see him."

Ginny gave her a concerned look. "Hermione, you don't…you don't think that he'd try and do anything, right."

Hermione looked up the young girl, carefully choosing her words in case there were unwanted ears around. "I don't believe that Lucius would ever do something as drastic as that, unless seriously provoked."

Ginny nodded in understanding and the two continued shopping. After an hour of searching, Hermione finally decided on a dark teal knee length dress with a scoop neckline and ¾ length sleeves. The dress clung perfectly to her figure, giving her a sexy yet sophisticated look. Ginny, some how, convinced her to buy silver heels to complete the look with a Slytherin edge. Secretly, she wondered if her fiancée would mention anything when he saw her outfit.

As they were exiting _Madam Malkin's _and heading towards the _Leaky Cauldron_, Hermione saw an ad in the window of _Quality Quidditch Supplies_. She told Ginny that she would meet her at the _Leaky Cauldron_ and went to take a closer look at the add.

_The Makers of the Firebolt_

_Proudly Present:_

_Aurora Borealis_

_Coming this Spring to Quidditch supply stories near you_.

After looking over the sleek silver broom and some of the new features advertised on the ad, she walked inside the store to retrieve an informational pamphlet on the broom. Walking out of the store with a smile on her face, Hermione mentally crossed off one of the names on her Christmas list.

* * *

A few days later, Draco and Hermione were both getting ready for the Quidditch match and their first public appearance. Hermione fidgeted nervously while Daisy did her make-up.

"Misses, must be still or Daisy might make a mistake!" Daisy scolded in her squeaky voice.

"I'm sorry Daisy, I'm just so nervous. I've never really gotten along with the press before." Hermione tried to explain to the small elf.

Daisy looked at her knowingly. "Master Draco, will be there Misses, so there is nothing to worry about. Master Draco will take care of you."

Hermione took a deep breath and tried to remain calm while Daisy finished with her work. When she was done, Hermione slipped into her dress and was slipping her feet in her silver shoes when there was a knock on the door. She immediately knew it was Draco.

"Come in, I'm almost ready." Draco opened the door, wearing his usual dark dress robes with a silver buttons and a crisp white shirt underneath and his hair casually sweeping across his brow and eyes.

"We're going to be late if you don't hurry…" he started to reprimand, but stopped when he looked at Hermione. She had walked over to the mirror casting a few spells on her hair to make her curls relax and hold a healthy shine.

"Do you think this dress is alright for this evening, Draco?" she asked while fixing her hair and make-up. She glanced at him in the mirror but he was just staring at her, a distant look in his eyes. "Draco did you hear me?"

Draco jumped when she called his name and met her eyes in the mirror.

"No sorry, I was thinking about something…um…for work. What did you say?"

Hermione turned around, trying to ignore the fact that Draco's eyes immediately flew downwards then suddenly back up, a guilty look on his face.

"I asked you if you thought if this dress was okay?"

She watched him, as he seemed to have a mental battle about how to reply to her question. She couldn't tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"You look fine. Are you ready to leave yet?" he impatiently asked, rocking onto the heels of his shoes.

"Yep, I'm all ready." She grabbed a thick black cloak and wrapped it around herself. She decided that his sigh of relief was a good thing and smirked to herself.

When they arrived at the edge of the platform that led to the Minister's box, reporters and cameramen flocked to the railing, eager to get a few words and pictures from the couple. Hermione tightened her grip on Draco's arm as they started to walk up the platform.

"You'll be fine, just look straight ahead and pretend they're not there." He whispered encouragingly in her ear. Hermione did as he said and held her head as they walked, ignoring all the calls of her name and the thousands of questions being screamed at her.

Once they entered the safety of the coatroom in the Minister's box, she sighed in relief. Draco chuckled as he removed his cloak and then her own. Once the entered the main area of the Minister's Box, they went around and mingled with all guests. Every now and then, Hermione put some input into the conversation, but mostly let Draco lead. She had no doubt that she could carry on a conversation with any of these guests, she was still a little apprehensive and unsure how a _Malfoy_ would go about things. She decided to listen and watch Draco, while taking mental notes.

As more guests arrived, Hermione started to look around for her friends. Finally she found them in a group by the corner holding drinks and laughing. She looked up at Draco who was talking with an older man named Anthony Gibbson about business. When there was pause between the two men, she cleared her throat.

"Draco, dear, I'm going to go get something to drink."

Draco looked across the room, saw her friends and nodded in understanding. "Of course, sweetheart, take your time."

Hermione looked towards the Anthony and smiled. "It was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Gibbson."

"Oh no madam," he said taking shaking her hand lightly, "It was all mine."

She nodded to them both and quickly escaped to meet up with her friends. As she approached the group she noticed another female, or what she thought was female, presence with the group. Standing next to an unhappy Ron was an beastly looking woman. Her shoulders were very square, as was the rest of her, and she stood slightly hunched over. She had a pudgy face with a square jaw and a mole next to her nose. Her eyes were a muddy green color and her hair was a dark brown. To say the least, Hermione understood why Ron was so unhappy: this was his fiancée.

"Hey 'Mione. You look wonderful!" Harry beamed as he embraced her.

"All thanks to me." Teased Ginny as they hugged.

Ron hugged her too, mumbling "Yea, you look good, 'Mione."

Hermione looked towards the woman standing awkwardly at Ron's side. She held her hand out and smiled. "Hello, I'm Hermione Granger."

"Oh Ron, how rude not to introduce them!" his sister scolded. "Hermione this is Roberta DonnerSchenkel, Ron's fiancée."

Roberta gave Hermione a gruff "Hallo" in a thick German accent.

"So, Hermione, how's life with the Slytherin prince?" Harry teased, taking a sip of his drink.

"Oh its wonderful! Though I am not personally fond dungeon decor, once you get used to that and the rats it's pretty comfortable." She said in a playful voice.

Harry laughed. "Seriously Hermione, everything is going well?"

"Yes, Harry. It isn't perfect but it isn't horrible. As of right now I'm rather content on how things are going."

Harry nodded in understanding the group carried on with their conversion until the game was announced to start. They each took their respective seats in the box, Draco and Hermione in the front row while the others sat behind them. As they took their seats, Draco leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"So who's the ghastly looking girl with Weasley?" Draco smirked.

"Who do you think?" she whispered back, her eyes on the field.

"You've got to be kidding me! Even _he_ doesn't deserve something like that!"

"Draco!"

"Well that explains why he's been staring at you all evening."

"What are you talking about?"

He leaned in closer, his lips brushing against her ear, causing shivers to wash down her spine and butterflies to flutter in her stomach. "With you wearing that dress though, I don't blame him. I'm having the same problem myself." He sat up and watched the game with a smirk, as if nothing had happened.

Hermione's mind was racing. As much as she wanted to deny her attraction to Draco, she couldn't ignore it now. However, her mind raced with what he said. Was Ron really staring at her all night? She remembered Ginny mentioning something about Rob being upset that they didn't get engaged, but brushed it off. Was it possible there was truth to her words? She felt the hair on the back of neck stand up causing Hermione to shift uncomfortably in her seat. She could literally feel someone's eyes boring into her back.

As if noticing, Draco put a protective arm around her shoulders and sent a glance backwards. If there was one thing she learned about Draco from all her years at Hogwarts with him, it was that he _hated_ when someone tried to take something from him.

At half time, the guest got up from their seats and returned inside where there refreshments waiting for them. Draco did some more mingling while Hermione conversed with her friends. There were ten more minutes left until the second half of the game when Ron pulled her aside into an empty hallway.

"What is it Ron? We really shouldn't be doing this. If anyone sees they might get the wrong idea."

"When do you suddenly care what people think, Hermione? We're just talking." He said in a huff. He fidgeted with his navy dress robes for a moment while Hermione crossed her arms, waiting for him to speak.

"Did you want to talk about something?" she asked, in what she hoped was a nice tone. While she normally wouldn't mind talking to Ron, she was just a little taken back by what Draco and Ginny had told and was nervous that someone might see them and start some horrible rumor.

"Um…so how is everything with the ferret?" he asked.

"If you mean, Draco, then everything is fine."

Ron frowned at her usage of his first name. "So you're on first name bases with him now?"

"Well, we are getting married in a few months. I don't expect to call him Malfoy for the rest of my life."

"So you're really going through with it, huh?"

"It's not like we have a choice. They'll take my wand and throw me in Azkaban if I don't, you know that."

"Well, what if you had another option." Ron looked down at his shoes, his brows furrowed together. It took Hermione a moment to understand what he was hinting at."

"What are you proposing Ron? That I make up some excuse about Malfoy being abusive or something like that so I can get out of the marriage and marry you?" He shrugged his shoulders. "And what about Roberta?"

"I'm pretty positive that if Roberta had an opportunity to get out of this marriage, she would jump on the first chance she got."

"Well I'm not doing it, Ron." She stated in stern voice.

Ron looked at her in shock. "Wha…what?" he stuttered.

"I'm not going to make up some horrible story about Draco, just because you were afraid to ask me to marry you before this all happened! For Merlin's sake Percy gave us a month's notice before the law was passed! You had a month to ask me to save us both and you blew it! I'm not ruining an innocent person's life because you're upset with _your _match." She pushed passed him and headed back into room, hoping he would have the decency to leave the conversion behind him.

"Hermione! You can't be serious!" Obviously that hope was wasted.

Hermione kept walking towards the room, eager for its safety. There was still five minutes until the game continued and the room was fairly crowded. She was barely five feet into the room when Ron's voice echoed loudly through the room.

"You can't be serious about this Hermione! He's Death Eater for Merlin's Sake!"

Everyone seemed to stop what they were doing and stare at Hermione and the red head walking briskly towards her. Several people gasped and were whispering to each other. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Draco angrily push through the crowd, his hand inside his robes to retrieve his wand, and a murderous look in his eyes. Hermione turned around beat him to Ron. The solid sound Hermione's slap made all whispers and movement stop, even Draco. Ron looked down at her, a freckled hand covering the angry red mark on his cheek.

"Ronald Weasley, it is best to keep such thoughts to yourself and to remember that the man you speak of _will_ be my husband very shortly, and I demand that he be treated as such."

By the time she turned around, Draco was already at her side and wrapped a protective arm around her waist. He glared at Ron, who was still holding his cheek.

"I'd be careful the next time you decided to open that big mouth of yours, Weasley. _My_ fiancée might not be there to protect you." He threatened.

Quietly Draco led Hermione out of the room to retrieve their cloaks and head home. He quickly wrapped her cloak around her and walked her to the edge of the platform, ignoring the paparazzi. He pulled her tightly towards him and Apparated back to her the Manor.

As soon as Hermione felt her feet hit the hard wooden floor of Malfoy Manor, her anger doubled. She could not believe Ron had the audacity to not only embarrass her future family, but _her_, his best friend. Draco had yet to let go of her and she was grateful for it. It kept her from Apparating back to the Quidditch match and cursing Ron so badly his grandchildren would still be having side effects from it. She took a deep breath, breathing in Draco's scent of a pleasurable mixture of expensive soap and male musk. She pulled away once she felt she had regained enough self-control to not cause bodily harm to a certain redheaded man.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a concerned voice. Any other time, Hermione would have teased his show of emotion. At that moment, however, she was touched by it.

"Physically, I'm completely fine." She sighed heavily. "I just can't believe him. Saying something like that in private, maybe, but not in front of everyone. That was extremely uncalled for." She looked up at him to meet his eyes. "I am so sorry you had to go through that. I must have embarrassed you horribly."

He held up his hand to stop her. "You did nothing Hermione, but defend me." He ran a hand through his nervously, his eyed dancing around the room before falling on her again. "I…I really appreciate it. Thank you."

Hermione rubbed her palm at the reminder of the event. Now that the adrenaline had left her system, she began to feel the dull throbbing of her hand. She laughed lightly when she thought about it.

"I bet Ron's going to have a nasty bruise from that."

Draco chuckled heartily along with her. "Yes, if I do remember correctly, you have quite an arm on you." He teased while rubbing his jaw at the memory.

She placed her hands on her hips. "I would say sorry for that, but you deserved it."

He shrugged in defeat. "I won't argue with that."

They chuckled lightly for a moment, relieved to lift the tension from the room. Finally Draco looked at her, a sad curiosity in his steel eyes.

"So besides his idiotic and rude outburst, what else did the Weasel do to deserve you storming away from him."

She turned away from him, afraid of his reaction to her encounter with Ron. Any man would be upset with what he did, no matter the circumstances.

"He was trying to convince me, rather poorly I might add, to tell the Ministry that you were abusive or having an affair or something along those lines so our engagement could be annulled. Then when had his engagement annulled with Roberta, him and I could get engaged." She let out a hollow laugh, remembering their conversation.

"I absolutely refused. I couldn't say something so horrible about you when you've been nothing but nice to me and I told him so." She turned around to face him, looking into his angry eyes. "I don't expect undying love and a 'happily ever after' ending to this marriage, Draco. However, I do see you as a close friend and, believe it or not, I care about your feelings. I could never do anything like that to you."

For several moments they stared at each other in silence, each unsure of what to do. Draco finally moved and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her to him.

"We both know this marriage is going to be hard," he began softly. "but knowing that we can trust each other, as friends, will make it easier."

"Don't you go all soft on me now, Malfoy." She muttered.

He squeezed her when she used his last name. "Don't worry _Granger_, I'm still the stuck up sexy git you know and love."

"Oh please."

"You can't deny my sexiness." She laughed into his chest and he smiled lightly. "Seriously though Hermione, we're going to have to deal with this." He exhaled heavily. "We're going to have to fix whatever damage Weasley made. I'm going to talk to my parents about the papers, but until this whole thing is settled, I don't want you around him."

They still embraced each other, as she tried to process his words.

"None of them? Not even Harry or Ginny? They didn't do anything and Ginny is in my wedding party!" she started to panic.

"Harry and Ginny are fine, as long as Weasley isn't with them." She huffed angrily into his chest. They broke apart and looked at each other. "I'm gonna go find my parents now. The sooner this is dealt with the better. If we hurry we might be able to stop it from making the morning paper."

"Okay, I'm just gonna take a bath and relax."

He nodded his head and they both started walking their separate ways. Hermione headed down the hall to find the staircase that would take her room and Draco was about to turn the corner before he called out to her.

"By the way _Granger_," She turned around to see him smirking at her, laughter in his eyes. "_never _wear that dress out in public without me." He turned the corner sharply and disappeared down the hallway.

Hermione walked back to her room, blushing and smiling, with the feeling that something was about to change.

* * *

A/N: Thank you everyone that reviewed! So here is the next chapter like I promised. It took me a bit longer than I thought because I had to redo the entire ending. ^.^ lol. Hope you like it! Read and Review please!


	8. Masquerade

Chapter Eight: Masquerade 

Two weeks after the 'incident', as Hermione and Draco so fondly called it, Hermione found herself in a pricy gown shop with Ginny. It was on a list of 'safe' shops Narcissa had given Hermione so she could shop in peace without being attacked by reporters. Draco had not been quick enough to stop the story from hitting the press the next morning and a picture of Hermione slapping Ron replayed on the front page of the _Daily Prophet_ and several other Wizarding magazines for several days. Every theory from Hermione and Ron having a secret affair, to Draco and Hermione have an secret affair prior to their engagement, to Hermione being pregnant with Ron's child (regardless of the fact that their relationship ended years ago) circulated through the Wizarding world. Everywhere Hermione went, the media ambushed her with Rita Skeeter at the head of the front line. She was happy that she was able to shop somewhere without being harassed.

"'Mione, what do you think of this one?" Ginny asked as she eyed a hot pink gown on a mannequin.

"Um…it's alright, Gin." Personally, the dress would perfect for Umbridge, but she kept her mouth shut to so she wouldn't upset the designer who was watching them carefully. She believed his named to be Fredrick.

"Hermione, have you found anything yet."

Hermione sighed. Of course she found dresses she liked, but this store was so _expensive_ and hated the idea of spending so much on a _dress_ of all things.

"Miss Granger, if you would like, maybe I could assist with finding a dress?" asked the designer.

Hermione glanced at Ginny, who shrugged her shoulders. "I guess it couldn't hurt."

"Well what event are you going to? Certain types of balls and galas have certain styles to them, but I'm sure you must know this."

Hermione blushed a bit. "Actually, I don't have much experience with these types of things, so any help would be greatly appreciated. The event we're attending is the Malfoy Annual Masquerade Ball. "

Fredrick beamed at her. "Of course Miss Granger!" He led her and Ginny to a private viewing room in the back. "My assistant will be here in a moment to get your measurements. I'll go pick out some different dresses for the both of you. Please enjoy some refreshments during your wait." With a wave of his wand a tray of crumpets and tea floated into the room.

Hermione and Ginny sat down in the plush white chairs while they waited for the assistant to take their measurements.

"Hermione, if you don't mind me asking, how did you convince Malfoy to send me an invitation to the ball after the fiasco with my brother."

Hermione laughed as she poured herself some tea. "Well I told him that you're so close to becoming a Potter that you shouldn't be considered a Weasley and therefore allowed to the party."

Ginny eyes glazed over in a dreamy look. "Yes, only ten more days! I can hardly wait!"

"I thought the ball would be a good distraction from all the wedding drama. You know, give you and Harry some time to just relax and not worry about planning." Hermione said.

Ginny opened her mouth to thank her, but was interrupted by the designer's assistant arriving to take their measurements. As soon as the assistant vanished, Fredrick reappeared with a dozen different dresses floating behind him.

The next hour and half was spent trying on different dresses, toying with the colors, and trying on different accessories. Ginny seemed to be enjoying herself immensely. Hermione, however, was feeling rather bored as Fredrick and his assistant dressed her in one overly priced gown after another. She was thankful to have Ginny there to keep her some company. The topic of conversation soon changed from Ginny's wedding to the current events of the Wizarding world.

"Have you read the Prophet recently?" Ginny asked as one of the assistants tightened the back of the dress she was wearing.

"No, you know I don't read that rubbish Gin." Hermione called from the changing room.

"Well then you might want to start."

Hermione emerged in a puffy golden gown that made her feel like a huge corn muffin. "And why is that?"

"The Ministry is banning the use of Pregnancy spells unless they are conducted by trained and authorized Healers. Over the past couple of weeks they've caught several witches running to muggle clinics to terminate the pregnancy. They're passing a new law that any witch caught attempting to terminate her pregnancy will be under house arrest during the entire pregnancy and after the child is born, and the Healers deems it safe for the mother and child to be separated, the mother will serve up to 6 months in Azkaban, without a trail."

Hermione stared at her friend in disbelief. "You can't be serious! They'll never pass that!" she claimed, outraged.

"They have already have. It will come into effect next Monday. The girl they caught the other day will be the first to receive the full punishment. She's being held at St. Mungo's in the mental ward until the law is passed, so she can go home. Poor girl is only 18 and married to some bloke nearly twice her age!"

"This is ridiculous! We just finished with the war and the Ministry is trying to start another one with its one people! Next they'll be having people monitor us to make sure we're having sex and having us take daily fertility potions."

"No, they won't do that unless you aren't pregnant by the deadline they gave you. That's when you have to be scared."

The room went silent, as the two witches were lost in their own thoughts. Her mind was so clouded in thought that she almost didn't hear Frederick call her name.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I was lost in thought. What did you say?"

"I asked you how you liked the dress, madam. Does it fit alright?"

Hermione looked at herself in the mirror. It was official; she was a corn muffin.

"I don't know," she looked down at the poofy, golden monstrosity that had taken over her body. "do you have something more simple and elegant?" she grabbed the skirt of the dress. "This really isn't my style."

The designer's eyes widened, almost as if in fear. "Oh of course, of course. Why don't you change out of this and I'll be right back. I think I know the exact dress for you."

The designer disappeared and by the time Hermione had climbed out of her corn muffin dress, he was handing her a light blue dress through the velvet curtain of the changing room. When Hermione stood in front of the mirror, she smiled and said, "This is perfect."

The light blue dress had a tight bodice with a full, floor length skirt with just the smallest hint of a train, and three-quarter length sleeves with a slight flare at the ends. The dress was made of a shimmery soft material and was light but breathable. It was simple, yet elegant, and best of all, she didn't feel or look like a corn muffin.

* * *

From her room, Hermione could hear the muffled sounds of laughter and music. The Malfoy Masquerade Ball was well on it's way and she knew she only had a few seconds before Draco would come to escort her down to the festivities. She patted her curls that were piled elegantly onto of her head. She pulled a few stray strands out of the graceful twist to frame her face. She smoothed the soft chiffon skirt of her dress and adjusted the bodice in a self-conscious manner. She didn't think she would ever get use to the constant parties and dressing up.

"Come in," she called when she heard a knock on the door.

"Are you almost ready?" Draco asked in his usual drawl.

Hermione glanced at him from her mirror as she applied some lip-gloss on. His hair was gelled back and he was in usual black dress robes, though the shirt he had underneath was the same light blue that matched her gown. In his hand he held a black mask with light blue edging around the eyeholes.

"Yup." She said as she put her lip-gloss away. She turned to face him. "What do you think?" she turned around, the skirt of her dress sweeping around the floor.

He gave her a calculation look as he eyed her. "You're missing something." He said in a matter-of-fact tone.

She quickly turned around to study her reflection. "Really?"

Draco pulled a small box out of his pocket and enlarged it with his wand. He came up behind her and placed the necklace around her. She gasped at the sight of it. Three strands of brilliant white pearls were connected in the middle by a large cornflower blue sapphire that rested on her collarbone.

"Draco, I can't accept this. This is too much." She stated, her hands raised to take off the necklace.

He stopped her. "Hermione, you're going to have to learn that you are a Malfoy now. You should get use to being things like this. It comes with the name. If I didn't get them for you, my mother would; and trust me her style is much more extravagant than mine!"

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "I don't need fancy jewels. If you're dead set on giving me something, make sure its something useful like books or a donation to Hogwarts."

"I offer you jewels and you want books. I think you're the only woman in the world that would refuse jewelry." He laughed.

"Well I'll be a cheap wife then. Buy me a library and you'll be set for life in the gift department." She retorted.

"Until, you run out of books."

Ignoring him, she continued. "And I do like jewelry," she said in a matter-of-fact tone. "But I believe it should have meaning behind it. It shouldn't be given away like it's nothing."

"Fine then consider this a good-luck present. Now let's go before my mother has a conniption fit." He chuckled.

Under her breath she mumbled. "A ridiculously expensive 'good-luck present'."

He decided to ignore her comment and continue. "My advice for the night is to steer clear of mother. She's gets a little crazy the night of a gala."

"And what about your father?"

He shrugged, closing her door and they started walking down the hallway. "He'll be doing his rounds with mother, you know mingling and playing the role of the 'humble host'." He's a bit more pleasant at these types of things. He has to be on his best behavior; orders of mother." He winked at her.

As they neared the ballroom, a place Hermione had yet to see, the sounds of voices and music grew louder. She felt a rush of anxiety run through her. As they approached the large wooden double doors, she tightened her grip on his arm.

"Scared, Granger? Where's your Gryffindor courage?" he smirked, glancing down at her. She glared up at him and refused to answer. He leaned down to her and whispered, "Don't look so nervous. They can smell fear a mile away."

"Oh that makes me feel loads better." She muttered as she tried to collect herself.

"Don't worry, I'll be there to protect you from the big bad aristocrats." He teased.

The magnificent doors opened for them as they approached. Draco coughed to get her attention and when she glanced up he pulled his mask over his eyes. Hermione copied him and held her pearly white and blue mask in front of her face. They walked into the brightly lit room and she withheld a gasp. Above their heads were three large chandeliers handing from the golden ceiling, giving the room a wonderful yellow glow. Hermione felt like she had stepped into a fancy circus. There were jugglers, fire breathers, contortionists, and acrobats flying through the air. The ballroom was filled with masked people where fine silks and glittering jewels.

"Your mother sure does know how to throw a party." Hermione chuckled. She watched an acrobat fly through the air. "You don't think that she'll have acrobats at our wedding, do you?"

He laughed lightly as he gave her a glass of champagne. "I hope not. Mother _always_ does something dramatic for this ball. That's why everyone wants to be invited. Last year as a jungle theme, one of the monkeys got away and ended up making a huge mess in the kitchens. I think that will be the last time mother ever uses live animals." He wrapped his arm around her waist and led her into the crowd. "Let's go mingle before mother has a fit."

As they made their way around the ballroom, Hermione could hear the whispers and murmurs from the surrounding witches and wizards. She kept a straight face and held her head high, doing her best to ignore them. While Draco chatted up on his father's friends, Hermione gazed out on to the dance floor. She watched the women and men twirl gracefully around the floor and smiled when spotted Ginny and Harry among the couples.

"Would you like to dance?" Draco asked.

She jumped at the sounds of his voice. "Oh, um, if you'd like. I'm really not that great at dancing." She laughed, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Come on, it'll be easy and a lot more entertaining then talking to these people." He said as he led her to the dance floor. She smiled gingerly as he wrapped one around her waist and held her hand in his other. "Trust me, I won't let you fall on your ass." She rolled her eyes at him, but let him take the lead.

The night went smoothly. Draco introduced her to a few important people, they danced some more and Hermione got to chat with Harry and Ginny. They also said a quick hello to Narcissa and Lucius, but quickly disappeared before his mother's unwanted attention went from the microscopic piece of dirt on Lucius' cheek to them.

"Are you're parents always like that?" she asked in curious voice, while Draco refilled her champagne glass.

He followed her gaze to his parents. His mother was trying to straighten her husband's already straight tie and then licked her thumb and wiped his cheek gently. Lucius was staring up at the ceiling, patiently waiting for his wife to finish. Hermione could swear that he was fighting a smile.

"He pretends that he hates her doting on him, but he really enjoys it. My father may act like cold-hearted bastard at times, but he's really a big baby. At least, he is when it comes to mother. She has him wrapped around her little finger, but he'd rather die then admit it out loud and will openly deny it if you mention anything about it."

"You know," she pondered, "If your father still didn't freak me out, I'd say that's incredibly cute."

Draco laughed. "Let's go dance before they notice that we're staring at them."

* * *

It was well into the night when Draco pulled her aside from the crowded room. He led her to an empty balcony that overlooked the enchanted garden.

"Are you having fun?" he asked as they walked towards the railing.

"More than I thought I would." She admitted. There was a cool breeze outside and Hermione relished in the feeling of it against her heated skin. "You?"

"Surprisingly yes, I am. Most of the time, my date to these things can barely hold a semi intelligent conversation. It's nice to have someone to actually talk to."

Hermione looked down at the large garden. Every few feet lanterns littlered, which she assumed held fairies, lit the many paths. A few couples were moving between the large bushes and trees.

"You didn't tell me your mother also did the garden!" she exclaimed. "Can we go see it?"

"Someone's excited to get me alone with them." He smirked.

She held her head up and crossed her arms over her chest. "I just happen to like gardens, for your information, and I can go by myself. I was trying to be a nice and invite you."

He laughed at her and guided her towards the door. "Don't get your knickers in a twist, Granger. I'm only teasing."

He led them to two large French doors that led outside. He ordered one of the house elves to get a cloak and wrapped it around her. He fastened the clasp gently; his fingers linger on her skin.

"You know, that necklace really does look nice on you." He said, looking in her eyes.

Hermione felt herself blush and looked away. "Thank you," she muttered as they walked into the gardens.

Draco took her arm as the walked down the main path. All of the flowers had been charmed to bloom during the night and the golden light of the lanterns gave them a romantic glow. She made a mental note to herself to ask Narcissa about having the garden open for their wedding. After a few minutes, Hermione realized that they were straying from the main path.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"You'll see." Draco teased. "It's just a place I like to go to and think." He explained.

"Wait, you _think_?" Draco glanced down at her. "Sorry, couldn't help it." She started to giggle but immediately stopped herself and decided that she had enough to drink for the night.

When they finally arrived in the little alcove, Hermione understood why Draco would come to this area to think. In the middle of the little clearing was an old fountain surrounded by beautiful white day lilies. There was a stone bench, worn and weathered by the years spent outside, across from the entrance and directly behind the fountain. It was a secret sanctuary inside the vast garden. The couple sat on the bench, staring at the fountain.

"I can see why you would come here," she said. "It's so peaceful."

She looked up in the clear sky, relaxing in the quiet bliss of the garden.

"You look beautiful tonight." He said quietly after a few silent moments.

She glanced at him, his silver pools shimmering with emotion. Heat flooded to her cheeks and she looked away.

"Don't look away from me." He said in a gentle, but firm voice. "Never look away from me."

Hermione turned back to him, forcing herself to meet his gaze. Her breath hitched in her throat. For a split second, her gaze dropped down to his lips. She suddenly remembered the night of their first kiss and willingly admitted to herself that she _wanted_ him to kiss her.

As if reading her mind, Draco leaned down and cautiously covered her lips with his own. He was careful, almost as if he was afraid she would pull away from him. Hermione leaned into the kiss and sighed contently when she felt his hand cup her face and his other arm wrap around her waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. The feeling of Draco moaning into her mouth sent shivers down her spine and Hermione decided that this had to be the most amazing kiss in her entire life.

A shriek of laughter broke them apart and the couple looked around frantically to see who had witnessed their kiss. When they finally realized that the laughter was coming from somewhere else in the garden, they calmed down.

"Um…" Draco cleared his throat, looking unsure of what to do. "We should probably head back. The ball will be ending soon and mother will expect us to see the guests off."

"Yes, I suppose you're right." She agreed in a quiet voice.

The wheels in Hermione's head were spinning with confusion. She was taken back by his sudden change in mood and the quick retreat. She thought over and over about the kiss and his actions immediately after and still could not make sense of it. The rest of the night, Hermione was lost in thought and barely noticed that all the guests had finally left and Draco was walking her back to her room. And the wheels in her head went into over drive when Draco leaned down and gave her a light a goodnight kiss.

Hermione shut the door and sat on her bed. She was utterly confused. While their kiss had been short, she thought it was amazing, and judging from Draco's response to her, so did he. Then during the rest of the night he never mentions it or hints about it, or even teases her about it. And when he finally has the perfect moment to put all her worries about it to an end with a good night kiss, she receives this pathetic peck on the lips. So it wasn't _pathetic, _per se, but it wasn't mind blowing either.

She got up off the bed and made her way down the hall. She was determined to get the goodnight kiss she wanted. She knocked on his door three times and when he opened it, it was very clear that Draco was surprised to see her.

"Can I help you with something?" His tone was teasing and light.

"Yea," she replied, before she pushed him against his door and kissed him. It took a moment for him to realize what was happening before he wove his hands into her hair, forcing the twist to come undone. As Hermione deepened the kiss., she bit his lip and held back a smile when he groaned into her mouth. When she felt one of his hand moving past her waist, she stopped, and took a step back.

"That," she said in a matter-of-fact tone. "was a goodnight kiss." And with all the dignity and grace of a future Malfoy, she turned on her heel and left.

Halfway down the hall, Hermione glanced over her shoulder and smirked when she saw Draco standing in his door his mouth agape.

"Close your mouth, Malfoy." She called over her shoulder. "It's very un-gentleman like."

He quickly shut his mouth, but recovered with an identical smirk to hers. Before she heard his door shut, she heard him say, "At least our marriage won't be boring."

* * *

A/N: Hello my lovelies! Sorry it's been so freaking long! For those of you who haven't see my profile update last night/early this morning, I'm still working on this story (well obviously, I just posted haha) and I haven't given up on it. Things here have been hecked and as much as it pains me to say this, school does come before fanfiction. It's a harsh reality, I know. I'm still trying to deal with it. I have bits and pieces of the next chapter handwritten. So I'm gonna try and post it this week, but I have several tests and papers due so it depends on how much work I get done here. The next chapter will be the wedding! Get use to the happiness and fluffiness in the next few chapters cause it's not gonna stay that way for long.

Thank you all SOOOOO much for the reviews. They keep me going. Hope everyone is having a wonderful spring.


	9. The Wedding

Chapter Nine: The Wedding

Hermione stared out her window at the clear December sky and sighed in defeat. It was the day before the wedding and it didn't look like there would be a chance of one flurry for the next day. While things had certainly heated up between her and her soon-to-be husband, she was still very nervous about the whole event. In her mind, it was still way too soon for them to marry, even with their new budding romance. There was a loud crack and Daisy appeared next to her, pulling her out of her trance.

"Miss Hermione, Lady Narcissa wishes to see you for tea in the sun room." Daisy said in her squeaky voice.

"Alright, tell her I'll down in a moment. I just want freshen up." She said and walked over to her closet when Daisy disappeared with a pop and changed into a light blue dress robe.

After brushing her hair and twisting it into a bun, she went downstairs to the sunroom. Narcissa sat at a small glass table in the middle of the room. The sun shone brightly through the glass walls of the room, creating a warm and comfortable atmosphere. Narcissa was looking out the window and into the garden when she entered.

"Narcissa." Hermione greeted her quietly, not wanting to startle the woman.

Narcissa turned to her and smiled, "Hello there dear. Please sit and have some tea." Hermione did as she said and poured the hot liquid in to her delicate teacup. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. How are you?"

"I'm very well." Narcissa relied, before sipping her tea. A pregnant silence filled the room, causing Hermione to fidget with her hands.

"Was there something you wanted to talk about?" she asked, no longer able to stand the silence.

"You're very blunt and to the point.," Narcissa observed. Hermione felt heat rush to her cheeks, but Narcissa continued before Hermione could defend herself. "I like it. While you don't beat around the bush, you have a certain grace and elegance with your words that few pureblood women have nowadays." It took her a moment to get over the sudden compliment, but Hermione quickly recovered and thanked her. "You are right, however. There is a reason why I asked you to join me. How are feeling about tomorrow?"

She sipped her tea cautiously, not wanting to burn her tongue. "I'm a little nervous, actually."

The older woman waved her hand, as if to banish Hermione's anxiety. "It's completely understandable, but you'll do fine. I'm sure if it." Narcissa gently placed her cup on the expensive china saucer. "I want to talk to you, Hermione, woman to woman; from one Lady Malfoy to the next. Now I know you have a mother to explain to you the mechanics of the bedroom relationship between a husband and wife, so I'll spare you _that_ talk." Hermione felt the blood rush to her cheeks again. "Merlin knows Lucius' mother didn't spare me," she laughed. "I thought I was going to die of embarrassment."

"When I was a little younger than you I was informed that I was going to be wed to Lucius. Now I had known all my life that my parents would eventually pick out a suitable husband for me, but it was still quite the shock. He was such a stuck up prat when he was younger." Narcissa rolled her eyes at the memory. "He dipped my hair in an inkpot when we were in Second year. It took me a week to get the ink out of the end of hair. I still haven't forgiven him for that."

"Reminds me of someone I know." Hermione snickered and Narcissa eyes shown with glee. "Guess Malfoy men don't fall from the tree."

Narcissa gave a very un-lady like snort. "No, they certainly do not." She agreed. "He still acts like the little prat he was back at Hogwarts, sometimes. In case you haven't noticed, Malfoy men are like big children. They have to rule the playground or they throw a temper tantrum until they get what they want. My advice, from one Malfoy woman to another, is just let them think that they control everything and they'll be happy." She laughed and Hermione joined her. Narcissa leaned back in chair, studied the young woman across from her. Hermione suddenly felt self conscious, taken back by Narcissa's sudden change in mood.

Narcissa finally leaned forward and sipped her tea. "I think you will make fine Lady Malfoy, Hermione." She suddenly declared.

"Really?"

Narcissa gave her a questioning look. "Do you doubt yourself?"

"Oh, no. It's just that," Hermione paused for a second, to think of a proper way to voice her opinion. "From what Draco had told me when we first heard about this arrangement, you and Lucius were far from pleased."

Narcissa shook her head. "Hermione, if there is one thing this war has taught me, its that blood status isn't the most important thing in the world. If we both were cut we would both bleed the same red substance, which gives us life and magic. Plus, you have more elegances, brains, and beauty in your pink finger than most of the pureblood girls Draco has brought home. While some of the other family members have made their opinions on the arrangement _quite_ clear, I believe that you will be a fine addition to the family."

Hermione smiled at her and thanked her politely, finally feeling a little confident about the marriage. She did not expect Lucius to break out into a fit of joy when he heard the news, or even grow to except it, but having Narcissa on her side made her more at ease. She lifted her cup to her lips and almost choked when Narcissa asked, "So, Hermione, what is this I hear about you keeping your last name?"

"Well, since I'm the last Granger, I wanted to keep my last name, so I'm going to hyphenated it to still keep the Malfoy name."

Giving her a coy look, the older witched asked, "And does my son know about this?"

"I thought that with work and the wedding, Draco didn't really need to know about something so insignificant."

Narcissa raised her tea glass and smiled, "Yes, you'll make a fine Lady Malfoy indeed."

*

After her conversation with Narcissa, Hermione retired to her room intending to read finish her book on the history of Wizarding marriages. However, when she entered her room she found Draco relaxing on her bed flipping through said book.

"Looks like someone is doing a little homework." He teased, brushing a stray hair of his face.

Walking over to her vanity, Hermione shrugged and let her hair down. "Well you know me, the Gryffindor bookworm."

Draco closed the book and placed it next to him with a sigh. "I'm bored." He stated in a tired tone.

"I'm sorry." Hermione laughed as she picked up the book and sat next to him.

She quickly flipped through the book before she found the spot she had left off and continued her reading. A few silent minutes passed between them before Draco sighed heavily.

"Hermione I'm _bored_."

"Draco Malfoy, are you _whining_?" she asked glancing sideways at him, trying desperately to hide her smile.

"No!" he said defensively.

Hermione chuckled lightly and continued reading. Draco sighed dramatically and shifted in his spot. Hermione smiled as she felt his eyes on her and turned the page of her book. As she became more absorbed in her book, Hermione forgot that Draco was laying next to her. Suddenly her book was ripped from her grasp and Hermione gasped in surprised.

"Draco!" she yelled, "I was reading that! Give it back!"

He laughed, almost menacingly and held it high above her head. "No, I don't think I will. Not until you entertain me."

Hermione huffed and reached up, trying to snatch her book out of his grasp.

"Draco, I'm serious! Give me my book back now!" He switched hands and held the book farther way from her, smirking playfully. Hermione growled and reached again for her book, but Draco quickly wrapped his free arm around her waist and locked her against his chest.

"Someone's getting a little feisty." He said in a husky voice before capturing her lips.

At first Hermione started to give in, but as her eyes started to close she saw his hand that was holding prisoner of her book started to lower. Forming a plan in her head, Hermione deepened the kiss and let one of her hands travel down his hard chest. She let her hand tease him through his pants, while keeping an eye on her prize. Draco moaned deeply into her mouth and gripped her tighter. When her book was just within her reach Hermione jumped forward, breaking the kiss and snatching the book out of his hand.

"Thank you!" she said in a sing-song voice and settled back down in her pervious spot and continued reading once she found her page.

"You little minx!" he cried accusingly, "you tricked me!"

"All's fair in love in war, Draco. Surely you know that." She stated knowingly as she flipped the page. "And you can't be mad at me because, like you requested, I did entertain you."

"For like five seconds!"

"Well, you never gave a time requirement."

Draco gave a defeated huff and folded his arms across his chest. Hermione laughed and patted him on the thigh.

'There's always another day, Draco."

"How about now?" he asked, his eyes hopeful.

"You know the rule."

Giving another defeated sigh, Draco shifted into a more comfortable position after mumbling, "Yea, yea, I know. Not until _after _the wedding."

Hermione smiled and patted his leg again. "Good boy."

Some time later Hermione had finished her book and set it softly on the nightstand next to her. During the time she was reading, Draco had fallen asleep and his head was resting softly on her shoulder, his light snores tickling the skin of her neck. Hermione glanced down at him before turning the light off next to her. She settled down in the bed, Draco waking only long enough to readjust himself, wrap his arms around her and bury his face in her curls. She felt her eyes grow heavy and decided to let herself relax and drift off to sleep because she knew tomorrow was going to be one of the busiest days of her life.

*

Somewhere in one of the many hallways of the bustling Malfoy Manor, a clock chimed five times, signaling that there was only thirty minutes left before the ceremony started. Hermione wrung her hands as she paced nervously in the large dressing room in Narcissa's master suite.

"Hermione, dear, you need to calm down!" begged her mother. "You are going to worry yourself sick!"

Hermione waved her mother off and continued pacing. "But what if I trip when I'm walking down the isle? Or I forget my vows? What if _he_ forgets _his_ vows?"

"Hermione, listen to me," Narcissa demanded in a calm voice. "Firstly, you won't forget you lines and neither will Draco, if he knows what's good for him. And secondly, there is nothing a little Memory Charm can't cure. So don't worry."

A few minutes later there was a knock on the door and Ginny hurried in with a tray of tea. She carefully set down the tea and handed Hermione a blue teacup with the steaming liquid.

"Here, drink this. It'll help ease the nerves a bit." She said in a quiet voice.

Within minutes, Hermione visibly relaxed and put her tea down. "Wow, you were right. I do feel loads better. What kind of tea was that?"

Ginny gave Narcissa a quick look before answering. "It's recipe my mother use to make for us when we were nervous or upset. She gave it to me on my wedding day, so I thought it could do you some good too."

Hermione nodded in understanding, her eyes slightly glazed. "Oh, that's lovely. She'll have to give me the recipe one day. It works wonders." She took another sip of brew. "Mmm, is there caramel in it?"

Ginny looked at Narcissa when she answered. "Yes, I think there is." Quietly under her breath she added, "Do you think I put too much in?"

Narcissa gave her soon to be daughter-in-law a once over. Jane, quickly noticing something was going on between the two witches, go up from the table to join them.

"What is going on?" she demanded quietly, so she won't alert her daughter. "What did you put in her drink?"

"It was just a little Calming Draught, to settle her nerves." Narcissa explained. "It's nothing harmful. Most women drink it on their wedding day. It's perfectly harmless."

"Well I think you might have used a bit too much." Jane stated. The trio looked over to see the bride sloughed in her chair, wrinkling her wedding dress, and humming quietly to herself with smile on her face.

"She's gonna kill us when she figures out what we did." Ginny sighed.

"Well how much did you put in her tea?" Narcissa asked eagerly.

"Two and a half tea spoons. That's what my mother told me to do."

Narcissa pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried to calm herself. "It's two and a half tea spoons for a _pot_ and one fourth of a tea spoon for a _single cup_."

The red head's face paled. "Well, what are we going to do?"

"How much time before the wedding starts?" the older witched asked.

Jane pulled up the sleeve of her lavender jacket and glanced at her watch. "About twenty five minutes."

"Okay, first we need to get that cup away from her and have her start drinking the regular tea to help flush some of it out of her system. Jane and Ginny you keep an eye on her. I'm going to see if I can buy us another five minutes."

"Wait!" exclaimed Jane. "You're going to make her late for her own wedding?"

Narcissa rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively. "Malfoy's are _never_ late. Everyone else is just early."

Thirty minutes later, Hermione watched the hairdresser make the final adjustments on her hair and cast a setting spells over her curls, which were left cascading down her back in loose big ringlets. Narcissa and Jane had already left to take their seats. There was a knock on a door silencing everyone in the room. Ginny tried to move swiftly to answer the door in her strapless soft golden dress, opening it only a few inches to hide the bride from any unwanted guests.

"Is she ready yet?" asked Harold, as Ginny let him enter the room. Hermione turned around to face her father, a smile spreading onto her face. She twirled in front of him, giving him a full view of her ensemble. A majority of the Calming Draught had worn off and left her feeling a little carefree. Once she had come down from her blissful high and understood what happened, she vowed to never drink anything Ginny ever gave her again.

"What do you think, dad?" she huff. Her gaze fell again on the large mirror in front of her, insecurely scrutinizing her appearance.

Harold sighed heavily and scratched his head as he looked upon his daughter.

"You look stunning sweetheart. Absolutely beautiful." He smiled, almost sadly. "We need to get going though. They're going to start the music soon."

Ginny quickly gathered her small bouquet of roses, charmed to appear silver. She quickly hurried out the door before Hermione, and linked arms with Blaise Zambini, Draco's only groomsman and best man. Harold picked up his daughter's large bouquet brilliant red roses and offered her his arm. The two walked quietly out of the room.

"So, you're really going through with this, huh?" her father asked.

"I really don't have much of a choice, father." She laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "I know you aren't very fond of him, but Draco has made me happy the past few months."

"How do you know that he's going to still make you happy the a few years down the road?"

"The same way you know with mom."

Harold sighed tiredly as they turned the corner and headed towards the stairs. The actual wedding ceremony was happening in sunroom, which Narcissa had charmed to be enlarged to fit all the guests, and the reception would be held in the large ballroom that the Masquerade ball was held.

"Are you nervous?" Harold asked as they descended the stairs.

Hermione laughed lightly. "I'm not sure if I'm nervous about what the wedding and reception hall will look like or the actually wedding. Have you seen either room?"

He shrugged, handing her the bouquet. "No I haven't, though your mother told me that it was 'absolutely to die for', though I have no idea what that means."

As they neared the entranceway, she heard the wedding march start to play, and watched as Ginny and Blaise left the hallway and walked down the isle. Harold brought her in front of the door waiting for the music to swell, signaling for them to start walking.

Just as the music started to get louder, Harold whispered to his daughter, "It's not too late to run off. Your mother let me bring the car, though we could just use the fireplace."

Hermione laughed. "I think they'd catch up with us before we could make it to the fireplace, but thanks for the offer dad."

"No problem, honey. Any time."

With a sigh from both of them, they started walking down the isle. Hermione clutched her father's arm tightly, as her eyes danced over the crowd. The room was obviously split into two groups: the Malfoy's family and close friends on to the right and everyone else to the left. One side of the room smiled at her happily, though she did see some sympathetic smiles, and the other side of the room was either scowling or expressionless.

When they finally reach the alter, Hermione finally took in the decorations. They were simple, but elegant. The rug was a rich red and the pews where lined with a large soft gold ribbon that matched Ginny's dress. On every pew there was a large bow with roses charmed to have a silver shimmer to them. The white archway, where Draco was waiting for her, was covered in silver and red roses.

Harold silently took Draco's hand and placed it over his daughter, symbolically giving her away. He gave him a stern look before muttering, "You better take care of her."

Draco smiled politely, "Don't worry, I will."

Hermione and Draco both turned to the Minister of Magic, who Narcissa arranged to oversee the ceremony and the exchanging of the vows. They held hands tightly, listening to his speech, before turning to each other and repeating their vows, binding them together legally and magically. When the ceremony was finally finished, Draco kissed Hermione gently on the lips, ignoring the flashes from the cameras. Both smilingly, they turned to the crowd.

"I am now proud to announce, for the first time, Lord Draco Malfoy and Lady Hermione 'Granger' Malfoy." Draco squeezed her hand tightly, trying to keep his face straight as the crowd stood up and applauding them.

"'Granger' Malfoy?" he asked, through a clenched jaw, trying to keep a smile on his face.

Hermione's smile didn't falter as she smiled to the crowd as they walked down the isle. "I told you was going to take on your name, I just never told you I was getting rid of mine. Look on the bright side, you can still call me Granger when you get angry with me." As they passed Narcissa and Lucius, the older woman gave her a quick wink, which she returned.

Once they were out of the Sun Room, the guests and photographers exited and were quickly led to the main ballroom for the reception. Draco and Hermione, as is tradition, would enter once the other guests were seated. Draco quickly led his new wife to a more secluded hallway and then kissed her roughly. They pulled away from each other smiling.

"Have I told you that you look beautiful?" he asked, as his lips attacked her neck.

Hermione clutched onto his shoulders, trying hard to concentrate on the forming words and not his lips upon her flesh. "No you haven't, actually." She teased.

"Well," he murmured between kisses, "you look beyond beautiful."

Just as his lips found hers again, someone coughed loudly, startling the newly weds. Ginny stood a few feet away from them with her hands on her hips and a smirk on her face. "Sorry to break up the Honeymoon, but everyone's waiting for you."

Draco laughed, while Hermione frantically tried to fix her hair, her face becoming redder by the moment. Ginny left the couple, whom followed behind her. Draco linked arms with his new bride and led her to the main doorway. Hermione felt a bit of Déjà vu as she held onto his arm tightly when the approached the large doors.

"Nervous again, _Granger_?" he teased.

"I'm not afraid of the people, just wondering how overboard your mother went." She laughed.

"Don't worry. I think you're going to like it."

Hermione could only describe the ballroom as a Winter Wonderland. The décor was similar to that of the Yule Ball, minus the Christmas trees. Snow fell lightly onto the crowd, disappearing the moment it came into contact with a surface and leaving no trace that it once fell. Icicles were hanging artistically from the giant chandeliers and wall scones. Along the buffet tables were delicate ice sculptures of fairies and other small magical creatures. On each table there was a vase sculpted of ice, which held red, silver, and gold roses. The head table, where Hermione and Draco would be sitting, had two large ice candle labara's and decorated with rose petals.

"So you like it?" he asked, looking down at his wife, whom was clutching his arm tightly.

"Oh, Draco. I love it! You're mother did such an outstanding job!" she gasped, taking in the site before her.

After the couple entered the room and everyone was seated, the traditional wedding ceremony started. Blaise gave a wonderful, but slightly embarrassing speech about his best friend and new wife. Hermione and Draco had their first dance as husband and wife, which ended with Draco dipping her romantically and kissing her in front of the guest, much to her embarrassment. Harold and Hermione also had their father-daughter dance, which ended up with both of them tearing up and blaming their tears on each other. As the newly weds walked around to greet each table, guests shot sparks out of their wands, signaling the couple to kiss. As the night progressed, Draco and Hermione separated to talk to their own guests and friends. Spotting Narcissa alone, Hermione walked over to her to thank her for all the planning and the final outcome of the night.

"Oh don't worry about it dear. It was no trouble at all." The older witch sipped her wine as she watched her son and husband chat with some of guests. "It's not everyday that you're only child gets married."

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you know I wanted snow at the wedding?" she asked, her now mother-in-law. "Did my mother tell you?"

"Actually, Draco told me awhile ago. He said he didn't care what I did with it, as long as there was snow somewhere within the ceremony or party." She smiled.

"That was very sweet of him. I'll have to thank him."

"You know, regardless of the circumstances, I believe that my son is quite taken with you."

Hermione was about to reply when she felt two hands grip her shoulder. She looked up and was greeted by a smiling, emerald-eyed man.

"If you don't mind me interrupting, Mrs. Malfoy, but I have yet to have a dance with the bride and she owes me one from my own wedding."

Narcissa smiled and nodded her head. "Go ahead. I have some things I need to discuss with Jane."

Harry and Hermione made their way to the crowded dance floor. Hermione laughed as Harry twirled her around the dance floor with almost as much grace as her husband.

"Harry, I never knew you could dance so well." She laughed.

"Ginny and Molly made me take lessons for the wedding," he admitted.

"Well, from what I remember at the Yule Ball, you weren't exactly the best dancer on the floor." She teased.

Harry squeezed her playfully. "Give me a break. I was a nervous teen having my first dance in front of the entire school." After a few minutes of dancing in silence, Harry stated awkwardly, "So, you're a Malfoy now."

"Very observant of you, Harry," Hermione laughed. "Actually it's _Granger _Malfoy, but technically, yes, I am now a Malfoy."

"I still can't believe it. I know it's been months since the engagement, but I still see him has that little Slytherin prat, ya know?" Hermione smiled at the (very accurate) description of a younger Draco. "Just do me a favor and make sure that your kids are Gryffindors, alright?"

"Why?" she giggled. "Please don't tell me you're going to use my future children as payback."

"Oh, of course not, Hermione." Harry said, but she could see the mischievous glint in his green eyes. "It's just that with your brilliance and, as much as I hate to admit it, Draco's talent on the pitch, The Gryffindor team would be unstoppable."

"Well, what if they get my horrible flying skills?" she taunted.

"Slytherin can have them then." he replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

"But then Slytherin will have higher grades than Gryffindor."

Harry rolled his eyes and sighed, "Grades aren't that important, Hermione."

"Harry!" she cried, "Grades are _very_ important!"

He shrugged it off and kept twirling her around the dance floor. At the start of the next song, Draco came over to the couple and took Harry's place as Hermione's partner.

"So what were you and the Boy Wonder talking about?" her husband teased.

"Telling me that if our children are good flyers than they better be in Gryffindor and such."

"No way, they'll be Slytherins for sure. There has never been a Malfoy that has gone to Hogwarts that was not placed in Slytherin." He claimed proudly, "Except my great Uncle Nikolas, but we don't count him."

"And why is that?" she laughed.

Shrugging his shoulders, "Because my great Grandmother, disowned him when she found out her youngest son was in Hufflepuff. He had her fooled for years that he really was in Slytherin, but alas, Hufflepuffs aren't known for their intelligence and she found out."

"Well, good thing we don't care what house our children are in, as long as they have good grades." She stated with a smile.

"So says you." Draco mumbled, and grinned when she playfully slapped his shoulder. "I mean, of course dear."

The rest of the night was filled with laughter, dancing, and liquor (maybe a bit too much liquor). When the clock finally struck two o'clock, the final guest Flooed home leaving the Malfoy and Granger families alone in the Manor. After a tearful goodbye, Harold and Jane left the large house and headed home, with a promise to owl her the when they got home to assure her that they arrived safely. Shortly after, the older Malfoy couple retired to the rooms, Hermione and Draco following in suite.

"So, did you have a good time?" Draco asked as they walked down the hallway to his room.

"Yes, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Does your Aunt always drink like that?" she laughed, referring his Aunt Pauline.

"At family events, yes. I am terribly sorry about that. We didn't expect her to make such a mess out of herself." He apologized, though she could tell her found her actions quite humorous. "She's one of those family members whom you really don't want to invite to the party, but it would be extremely rude not to."

"Oh no, it's quite alright. My grandfather has been a widower for years, so I think he enjoyed the attention. He did seem a little surprised when she tried to seduce him with that dance of hers. I never knew a seventy year old woman could dance like that."

"The Malfoy's have terrific genes. We age like fine wine." He said proudly.

"And you sure do enjoy that wine," she snorted as he opened the door to his room. As soon as she stepped inside, her heart started thumping loudly in her chest, and she prayed he couldn't hear it. "Umm, I'm going to change out of this dress. Your mother said she left some extra clothes in the bathroom for me." She said nervously.

"Go ahead, take your time." He said as he started to undo the buttons on his dress robe.

Hermione quickly walked into the bathroom, shut the door, and leaned against it. She let out shaky breath as she tried to calm her racing heart. She thought she was nervous for the wedding, it was nothing compared to what she feeling right now. She immediately regretted telling Draco they had to wait until after the marriage. Why didn't she say six months after the marriage? Or when she felt ready? Now she felt like she was trapped in some spoken deal to 'do the deed'. Her eyes scanned the bathroom for the clothes that Narcissa said she placed there. Her eyes widened when they landed on the white, skimpy, silk chemise hanging on the shower door. She walked over to it and read the note that was attached to it.

_Have fun and don't do anything I wouldn't do!_

_Ginny_

Hermione was going to kill her.

"Daisy." She called out and turned around when there was a pop behind her.

"Yes, Miss Hermione? How can Daisy help Misses?" the house elf asked.

"Can you help get out of this dress, and get me one the robes from my room?" Hermione asked the little creature.

"Of course, Misses."

Ten minutes later, Hermione was out of her dress and now in the small scrap of silk that some called a nightgown. The bottom of the chemise barely covered her bum and ended at her upper thigh. The top wasn't much better than the bottom, the lacey edging barely covered her breast, though she did admit that it did accent her curves and chest nicely. Still, she was glad when Daisy returned with a white silk robe and quickly wrapped herself in it, feeling slightly better once her body was covered. Now all she had to do was summon up enough courage to walk back into the bedroom. She didn't know why she was so nervous, quite frankly she thought it was a little silly. It wasn't like her and Draco never did _anything _before. They've romped around a few times, just mindless kissing and a little groping. Sex was like the same thing…just more personal…and naked. She ran a frustrated hand through her curls, trying to calm her mind. It wasn't like she was a virgin either, not that she's had many partners in her life, but she knew the basics and fundamentals of sex.

A knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts. "Hermione, are you okay in there?" called Draco through the door.

"Yea!" her voice jumped an octave higher and she cleared her throat. "Yea, the dress took longer get out of then I thought. I'll be out in a minute."

"Alright."

Hermione grasped the sink and focused on her breathing. Once her breathing was normal she splashed some cool water on her face and then went back to the bedroom. Draco was laying in bed, half under the covers, reading a Quidditch magazine. Hermione didn't ignore the fact that he was shirtless and quickly let her eyes scan his sculpted torso.

"Good to see you made it out alive. I was starting to fear that the dress ate you alive." He joked as he put aside the magazine.

"It almost did," she said, playing along. "But I put up a good fight." She laughed nervously, looking around at everything but the half naked (she hoped he was half naked) man in the bed before her.

"Do you plan on sleeping standing up or are you going to get into bed any time soon?" he teased, smirking at her discomfort.

_'Once a Slytherin, always a Slytherin.' _ She thought to herself as she reluctantly removed her robe ad folded it over the chair at his desk. She fought a smirk when she felt his eyes on her, especially when his gaze lingered on her chest. Quickly she tucked herself into, bring the comforter up to her chest in an attempt to cover herself.

An awkward silence fell between the two, neither sure about what to say or do. Hermione felt like it was when she first moved into the Manor; awkward, quite, tense, and … awkward. She sighed heavily and started folding and unfolding her hands.

"So, anything interesting in the Quidditch magazine?" she asked nervously, unsure of what to do next.

He shrugged, seemingly as unsure of what to do as she was. "Nothing terribly exciting. There are some new brooms that are coming out later this spring. I was thinking of ordering one or two of them. I need a new broom."

Hermione bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from smiling, silently glad about her choice in a Christmas present for him. She nodded in understanding, causing a curl to fall in her face. Before she could sweep it away, he reached out a hand and pushed the curl behind her ear, his fingers trailing down her neck, dancing around her collar bone, and then ending on her shoulder. Suddenly his fingers were replaced by his lips, causing her skin to break out in goose bumps.

Her eyes fluttered close as his lips started travel up her neck. She let out a small moan when his ministrations started to become rougher, the gentle kisses replaced by small bites and licks. She turned her head to capture his lips and moaned at the contact. She nibbled on his lip and smiled when he moaned into her mouth. She would never get tired of doing that. Slowly she turned her body towards him, groaning when his hand moved over her side, outlining her curves. Her hands copied his motions, running a path up and down his hard chest.

As his lips left hers, and traveled a heated path down her neck to her chest, she felt his hands push up the bottom of her nightgown. Her eyes flew open and grabbed his hands, stopping his actions. All the nerves from before came back to her and Hermione had to concentrate on keeping her breathing at a semi normal level.

"Wait." She panted, not quite sure what to do or say next.

"You okay?" he asked, his silver eyes swirling with confusion and concern.

Hermione brought a hand to her head then dragged her fingers through her hair, letting out a heavy breath. "Yes…no…" she shook her head, "I don't know!"

Draco leaned back on his arm, giving her some space. "Well, which is it?"

"I just…I'm just not ready for…" she waved her hands around frantically, "_this._ I mean, we've only been engaged for a few months and the first time we ever even kissed was about a month ago! I just feel like we're rushing into this and I really don't think it's healthy for a growing marriage and-"

"Hermione, you're ranting." He stated, interrupted.

"Sorry." She mumbled, playing with one of her curls.

"Look, if you're not comfortable with _this_," he said, mocking her hand movements, causing her to smile a bit. "Then that's fine, just tell me. I'm not going to force you into anything." She nodded her head and quickly wiped away a tear threatening to fall. "Are you _crying_, Granger." He teased, causing her to smile, while she vigorously tried to wipe away any trace of tears.

"No, of course not. Don't be silly Malfoy."

He leaned in and kissed her tenderly, "Good. I can't have you crying and staining my comforter."

"Oh be quiet! I was _not _crying!" she laughed as she grabbed a pillow and shoved it in his face.

"Sure and I'm a Hufflepuff." He retorted.

"Could of fooled me." She mumbled as she slid under the covers.

"What was that, dear? I didn't hear you."

Hermione rolled over so her back was facing him and waved her hand nonchalant manner. "Go to bed, Draco. I tire of your mindless prattle." She dismissed him in a regal voice.

"And who are you dismiss me, madam?" he asked.

"I'm an official Malfoy now. I answer to no one." She explained, keeping the same regal airiness. Draco turned off the light and then pulled Hermione to him, causing her to squeal in surprise. "Someone's in a cuddling mood." She teased.

He rested his face in her hair and breathed in. "Shut up." He mumbled.

Hermione smiled and rested her hand over his, feeling her finger rub over his wedding band. She closed her eyes and waited for sleep to come over her, wondering what her first day as the next Lady Malfoy was going to entail.

"Thank you Draco." She whispered in the dark.

"You're welcome, Hermione." He muttered in her hair. She smiled again and settled back to down sleep. "Hey, Hermione?" he whispered back in a child-like manner.

She opened her eyes and resisted the urge to laugh. "Yes, Draco." She replied quietly.

"Can you promise to wear this nightgown again, when you're ready of course."

"Sure, why not." She laughed softly as she closed her eyes and snuggled into his arm. "Good night, Draco."

"Good night, Hermione."

*

Author's Note:

Thank you to everyone who reviewed and waited patiently for me to update. I know it's been a VERY long time, but things have been busy here. This chapter was very difficult for me to write. I actually rewrote it five times. The ending was the hardest because I was constantly trying to figure out if I should stay with my original story plot or give you, the readers, what you wanted. In the end, as you've obviously read, I decided to go with my original plan have them not "do the deed".

As Hermione explained, it's just too soon. Roughly, it's been a little less than a month since their first kiss, which I think is too soon for Hermione's standards. Don't worry! The big event will come soon and it will be worth the wait!

Again, thank you everyone for your reviews and patients! Happy reading!


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